Why this ride
86 km from Bad Ems to Bad Ems, about 1 h 43 of riding. It goes by way of Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22, Upper Middle Rhine Valley and back through Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22. Rivers set the line for much of the day.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em and Upper Middle Rhine Valley
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 86 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 43
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Rhine Romantic Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 22 km this is Rhine Romantic Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 22 km
- Named road
- Rhine Romantic Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em
Bad Ems has been a spa town since the Romans noticed the springs, and today it is a handsome, slightly faded place squeezed into the narrow Lahn valley between wooded hills. The town and its surroundings sit on the line of the Upper Germanic Limes, which the Roman Empire pushed through here to protect the valley and its minerals. A fortlet and a watchtower were built on the heights above the river, and the remains give the numbered label its meaning. Walk a short way up and you can see why the soldiers picked the spot: the slopes drop sharply to the water, and the view along the valley is long.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22.
2. Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22
A few kilometres west of Miehlen, the Limes crosses the Einrich, a high, open plateau of fields and meadows between the Rhine and the Lahn, and the stretch with watchtowers 2/20 to 2/22, near Singhofen and Holzhausen an der Haide, is one of the quietest parts of the whole frontier. Nearby, the fort of Holzhausen is one of the best-preserved Roman forts on the Limes, with its stone walls, gates and corner towers clearly visible in the forest, a rare sight on a frontier where most remains have vanished into the fields. The whole line is part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 comes up about 21 km into the recorded legs. Next is Upper Middle Rhine Valley.
3. Upper Middle Rhine Valley
Between Bingen and Koblenz, the Rhine cuts a deep, winding gorge through the slate hills of the Rhenish Massif, and for centuries this has been one of the great landscapes of Europe: steep slopes covered with vineyards, castles on every crag, villages of half-timbered houses along the river, and barges gliding past. The Upper Middle Rhine Valley was listed by UNESCO in 2002, and Sankt Goarshausen sits at its heart, at the foot of the most famous rock on the river.
Read the complete Upper Middle Rhine Valley write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 43 km into the recorded legs you reach Upper Middle Rhine Valley. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22.
4. back through Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22, late in the day. Next is Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em.
5. Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em 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 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em to Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22
Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em → Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 to Upper Middle Rhine Valley
Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 → Upper Middle Rhine Valley is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Upper Middle Rhine Valley to back through Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22
Upper Middle Rhine Valley → back through Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 to Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em
back through Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 → Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.