Why this ride
278 km from Bad Ems to Bad Ems, about 4 h 02 of riding. It goes by way of Watchtower WP 3/38*, Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro and back through Watchtower WP 3/38*.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtower WP 1/88 and Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 278 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 02
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Watchtower WP 1/88
In the hills above the Lahn, in the Westerwald near Arzbach, the Roman frontier made a long, curving loop through a country of oak and beech forest, and watchtower 1/88 was one of the posts on its line. This district was thick with towers, and several neighbouring numbers lie within a few kilometres. The Romans placed them wherever the ground gave a good view, usually on a rise or a ridge, so that from one you could see the smoke or lamp of the next.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 1/88 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtower WP 1/88 is where the day begins. Next is Watchtower WP 3/38*.
2. Watchtower WP 3/38*
The Taunus is a range of wooded hills north-west of Frankfurt, rising to 878 metres at the Großer Feldberg, and it has long been the city's playground, with forests, spa towns and winding roads. Through these hills ran the Upper Germanic Limes, the Roman frontier that stretched for over five hundred kilometres across Germany, and one of its watchtowers, numbered WP 3/38, stood near the village of Glashütten, close to Waldems and Königstein im Taunus.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 3/38* write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtower WP 3/38* comes up about 73 km into the recorded legs. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro.
3. Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro
Großkrotzenburg sits at a turning point of the Roman frontier. Here, on the Main east of Frankfurt, the river border that ran north from Miltenberg came to an end, and the Limes turned away from the water to head north across the Wetterau toward the Taunus. A fort guarded the spot, with a civilian settlement, and parts of its walls and gate can still be traced in the old town, where the fort's outline is marked in the streets. The site belongs to the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire, and the local museum displays finds from the fort and the vicus.
Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 140 km into the recorded legs you reach Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro. Next is back through Watchtower WP 3/38*.
4. back through Watchtower WP 3/38*
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 3/38* write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Watchtower WP 3/38*, late in the day. Next is Watchtower WP 1/88.
5. Watchtower WP 1/88
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 1/88 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Watchtower WP 1/88. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Watchtower WP 1/88 to Watchtower WP 3/38*
Watchtower WP 1/88 → Watchtower WP 3/38* is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtower WP 3/38* to Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro
Watchtower WP 3/38* → Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro to back through Watchtower WP 3/38*
Fort site and civil settlement of Grosskro → back through Watchtower WP 3/38* is 68 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtower WP 3/38* to Watchtower WP 1/88
back through Watchtower WP 3/38* → Watchtower WP 1/88 is 70 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.