Why this ride
78 km from Holzhausen an der Haide to Holzhausen an der Haide, about 1 h 27 of riding. On the way it passes Fortlet Adolfseck, Watchtowers WP 3/20 to 3/22 and back through Fortlet Adolfseck.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtower WP 2/31 and Watchtowers WP 3/20 to 3/22
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 78 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 27
- 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 2/31
Holzhausen an der Haide is a small village on the high ground of the western Taunus, between the Rhine and the Lahn, and it has one of the better-preserved Roman fort sites along the Limes. The stone walls of Kastell Holzhausen still stand to a modest height in the fields just outside the village, outlining the fort's rectangle with its rounded corners and gates. Watchtower WP 2/31 belongs to the chain of towers that linked forts like this one along the frontier, and in this open landscape you can easily imagine the signals passing from hill to hill.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 2/31 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtower WP 2/31 is where the day begins. Next is Fortlet Adolfseck.
2. Fortlet Adolfseck
The Aar is a small river that winds north from the Taunus towards the Lahn, through a narrow, wooded valley that has served as a route through the hills since ancient times. Where the Roman frontier crossed the valley near Adolfseck, today a district of Bad Schwalbach, the Romans built a fortlet to control the crossing, a small, square fortification with a garrison of a few dozen soldiers. The remains have been excavated and are marked on the ground, and the stretch of frontier nearby is part of the World Heritage frontiers of the Roman Empire. Above the valley, the ruins of a medieval castle, also called Adolfseck, add another layer of history.
Read the complete Fortlet Adolfseck write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fortlet Adolfseck comes up about 19 km into the recorded legs. Next is Watchtowers WP 3/20 to 3/22.
3. Watchtowers WP 3/20 to 3/22
The Taunus is the low, wooded range north of Frankfurt, and the Romans chose it as the place to draw their line. The Limes crossed the ridge at a height that gave good views over both sides, and watchtowers placed close together made it possible to send signals by fire and smoke from tower to tower. The numbers, such as WP 3/20, are from the survey carried out by German archaeologists at the end of the nineteenth century, and they refer to the third section of the line. The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes was listed by UNESCO in 2005.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 3/20 to 3/22 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 38 km into the recorded legs you reach Watchtowers WP 3/20 to 3/22. Next is back through Fortlet Adolfseck.
4. back through Fortlet Adolfseck
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Fortlet Adolfseck write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Fortlet Adolfseck, late in the day. Next is Watchtower WP 2/31.
5. Watchtower WP 2/31
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 2/31 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 2/31. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Watchtower WP 2/31 to Fortlet Adolfseck
Watchtower WP 2/31 → Fortlet Adolfseck is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fortlet Adolfseck to Watchtowers WP 3/20 to 3/22
Fortlet Adolfseck → Watchtowers WP 3/20 to 3/22 is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 3/20 to 3/22 to back through Fortlet Adolfseck
Watchtowers WP 3/20 to 3/22 → back through Fortlet Adolfseck is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fortlet Adolfseck to Watchtower WP 2/31
back through Fortlet Adolfseck → Watchtower WP 2/31 is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.