Why this ride
From Andernach it runs 75 km to Andernach; allow about 1 h 45 of riding. It goes by way of Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57, Limessection north of Arzbach and back through Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtowers WP 1/23 to 1/24 and Limessection north of Arzbach
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 75 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 45
- 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
Moselle Wine Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 18 km this is Moselle Wine Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 18 km
- Named road
- Moselle Wine Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Watchtowers WP 1/23 to 1/24
The Upper German-Raetian Limes began at the Rhine, at Rheinbrohl, and climbed into the hills on the east bank, and towers WP 1/23 and 1/24, near the wine village of Leutesdorf, are among the first along its route. They are now marked by foundations or mounds in the forest above the river, and they are part of the World Heritage listing. From here the frontier ran for more than five hundred kilometres to the Danube, and it is fascinating to stand at the very beginning of such an enormous undertaking.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 1/23 to 1/24 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 1/23 to 1/24 is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57.
2. Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57
This stretch of the Limes sits close to Bendorf and Stromberg, on the plateau above the Rhine near Koblenz, and the watchtowers numbered here, five in all, follow the line as it climbs from the river. The frontier was a controlled boundary: a palisade or bank, a ditch, and a series of towers within sight of each other, with a patrol path behind. Traces survive as low banks in forest and field, and some positions have been marked or partly reconstructed, which makes this a good place to understand how the system worked.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 comes up about 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is Limessection north of Arzbach.
3. Limessection north of Arzbach
North of Arzbach the land lifts out of the Lahn valley and into the Westerwald, and the Roman frontier did the same. The Limes here is a section rather than a single tower, a line where a ditch, bank and a string of watchtowers once ran across the ridge. It is a faint thing now, a low earthwork under trees, but you can follow it on foot if you know where to look, and the local Limes trail marks the way. The nearest villages, Arzbach and Kadenbach, are small and quiet, with only a couple of thousand people between them.
Read the complete Limessection north of Arzbach write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 37 km into the recorded legs you reach Limessection north of Arzbach. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57.
4. back through Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 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 1/53 to 1/57, late in the day. Next is Watchtowers WP 1/23 to 1/24.
5. Watchtowers WP 1/23 to 1/24
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 1/23 to 1/24 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Watchtowers WP 1/23 to 1/24. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Watchtowers WP 1/23 to 1/24 to Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57
Watchtowers WP 1/23 to 1/24 → Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 to Limessection north of Arzbach
Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 → Limessection north of Arzbach is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Limessection north of Arzbach to back through Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57
Limessection north of Arzbach → back through Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 to Watchtowers WP 1/23 to 1/24
back through Watchtowers WP 1/53 to 1/57 → Watchtowers WP 1/23 to 1/24 is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.