Why this ride
A 349 km round trip from Bad Hönningen - roughly 5 h 42 in the saddle. The stops in between: Watchtower WP 1/73, Watchtower WP 2/31, Watchtower WP 3/23* and Fortlet Lochmühle. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtowers WP 1/11 to 1/20 including the and Fortlet Lochmühle
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 349 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 42
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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
Moselle Wine Route
For 34 km this is Moselle Wine Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it — expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 34 km
- Named road
- Moselle Wine Route
Watchtower WP 3/23* → Fortlet Lochmühle
34 km on Watchtower WP 3/23* → Fortlet Lochmühle.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 34 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Watchtowers WP 1/11 to 1/20 including the
Here is where the Upper German-Raetian Limes, the longest stretch of Roman frontier in Europe, begins. The Romans started the line at the Rhine near Rheinbrohl and ran it up over the hills of the Westerwald, then on through the Taunus and beyond for more than five hundred kilometres to the Danube. The section with watchtowers numbered WP 1/11 to 1/20 follows the first climb away from the river through the forests above Rheinbrohl, Hammerstein and Niederbreitbach. Most of the towers survive only as low mounds of stone in the woods, but the course of the frontier ditch and rampart can often be traced on foot, and there are information boards and a few reconstructions along the way.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 1/11 to 1/20 including the write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 1/11 to 1/20 including the is where the day begins. Next is Watchtower WP 1/73.
2. Watchtower WP 1/73
The Roman frontier in Germany starts at the Rhine near Rheinbrohl and climbs into the hills of the Westerwald, and Watchtower WP 1/73, near Hillscheid, belongs to that first stretch. The numbers tell you where you are: section one, tower seventy-three. All that survives is a low mound in the woods, but in the second and third centuries it was a stone tower with a view over the frontier line and, behind it, the palisade and ditch that ran across the landscape. The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes has been part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire since 2005, and this is where it all begins.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 1/73 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtower WP 1/73 comes up 34 km in. Next is Watchtower WP 2/31.
3. 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
68 km in you reach Watchtower WP 2/31. Next is Watchtower WP 3/23*.
4. Watchtower WP 3/23*
On the wooded ridges near Idstein, the Taunus Limes crossed some of its highest and most remote ground, and Watchtower WP 3/23 is one of the many sites along this stretch. The asterisk in the official label suggests a site whose exact location is uncertain or reconstructed from survey work, which is common along the frontier, where many towers survive only as faint mounds in the forest. Still, walking the Limes trail here, with the bank and ditch running through the beech woods, gives a real sense of the Roman border.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 3/23* write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtower WP 3/23*, about halfway. Next is Fortlet Lochmühle.
5. Fortlet Lochmühle
The Lochmühle is a small fortlet on the Limes in the Taunus, near Wehrheim and the famous Saalburg, and it guarded a spot where the frontier crossed the valley of the Erlenbach stream. Fortlets like this were small outposts, housing a handful of soldiers who watched the border and controlled traffic, and they formed a link between the watchtowers and the larger forts. Its remains are modest, but the location, in a quiet valley surrounded by forest, has a peaceful charm. The name comes from a nearby mill, now a popular leisure park for families with play areas and farm animals.
Read the complete Fortlet Lochmühle write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fortlet Lochmühle sits at 136 km, about halfway. Next is back through Watchtower WP 3/23*.
6. back through Watchtower WP 3/23*
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 3/23* 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 3/23* comes up 170 km in. Next is back through Watchtower WP 2/31.
7. back through 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
204 km in you reach back through Watchtower WP 2/31. Next is back through Watchtower WP 1/73.
8. back through Watchtower WP 1/73
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 1/73 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 1/73, late in the day. Next is Watchtowers WP 1/11 to 1/20 including the.
9. Watchtowers WP 1/11 to 1/20 including the
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 1/11 to 1/20 including the write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 349 km.
Leg by leg
Watchtowers WP 1/11 to 1/20 including the to Watchtower WP 1/73
Watchtowers WP 1/11 to 1/20 including the → Watchtower WP 1/73 is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtower WP 1/73 to Watchtower WP 2/31
Watchtower WP 1/73 → Watchtower WP 2/31 is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtower WP 2/31 to Watchtower WP 3/23*
Watchtower WP 2/31 → Watchtower WP 3/23* is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtower WP 3/23* to Fortlet Lochmühle
Watchtower WP 3/23* → Fortlet Lochmühle is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fortlet Lochmühle to back through Watchtower WP 3/23*
Fortlet Lochmühle → back through Watchtower WP 3/23* is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtower WP 3/23* to back through Watchtower WP 2/31
back through Watchtower WP 3/23* → back through Watchtower WP 2/31 is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtower WP 2/31 to back through Watchtower WP 1/73
back through Watchtower WP 2/31 → back through Watchtower WP 1/73 is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtower WP 1/73 to Watchtowers WP 1/11 to 1/20 including the
back through Watchtower WP 1/73 → Watchtowers WP 1/11 to 1/20 including the is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.