Why this ride
A 370 km round trip from Höhr-Grenzhausen - roughly 5 h 21 in the saddle. On the way it passes Watchtower WP 2/31, Watchtower WP 3/23*, Fortlet Lochmühle and Watchtowers WP 3/23. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtowers WP 1/69 to 1/72 including the and Watchtowers WP 3/23
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 370 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 21
- 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
Watchtower WP 3/23* → Fortlet Lochmühle
This part of the ride is 34 km of Watchtower WP 3/23* → Fortlet Lochmühle.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 34 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Watchtowers WP 1/69 to 1/72 including the
Roman soldiers on this part of the frontier spent most of their time watching, and the towers that you can trace in the woods near Hillscheid are the evidence. Four tower positions follow one another here, each within sight of the next so that a fire or a flag could pass a message along the line in minutes, and a fortlet and the remains of a fort and civil settlement lie nearby, forming a small military zone around the Limes. This was the first stretch of the Upper Germanic frontier after it left the Rhine, so every day brought traders, patrols and tax collectors through the gap.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 1/69 to 1/72 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 1/69 to 1/72 including the is where the day begins. Next is Watchtower WP 2/31.
2. 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 comes up 34 km in. Next is Watchtower WP 3/23*.
3. 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
69 km in you reach Watchtower WP 3/23*. Next is Fortlet Lochmühle.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is Watchtowers WP 3/23.
5. Watchtowers WP 3/23
Idstein sits in a bowl of the Taunus hills north of Wiesbaden, and its centre is among the best-kept half-timbered towns in Hesse. The Killinger House, a tall timber-framed building with elaborate carving, is the showpiece, and the Witches' Tower, a stone remnant of the old castle, stands above the old town as a reminder of a darker chapter. The Roman Limes passes through the hills just to the north, and Watchtower 3/23 is one of many positions on the ridge, part of the line that ran for about five hundred kilometres across Germany.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 3/23 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 3/23 sits at 137 km, about halfway. Next is back through Fortlet Lochmühle.
6. back through Fortlet Lochmühle
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Fortlet Lochmühle comes up 171 km in. Next is back through Watchtower WP 3/23*.
7. 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
206 km in you reach back through Watchtower WP 3/23*. Next is back through Watchtower WP 2/31.
8. 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
back through Watchtower WP 2/31, late in the day. Next is Watchtowers WP 1/69 to 1/72 including the.
9. Watchtowers WP 1/69 to 1/72 including the
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 1/69 to 1/72 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 370 km.
Leg by leg
Watchtowers WP 1/69 to 1/72 including the to Watchtower WP 2/31
Watchtowers WP 1/69 to 1/72 including the → Watchtower WP 2/31 is 36 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 Watchtowers WP 3/23
Fortlet Lochmühle → Watchtowers WP 3/23 is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 3/23 to back through Fortlet Lochmühle
Watchtowers WP 3/23 → back through Fortlet Lochmühle is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fortlet Lochmühle to back through Watchtower WP 3/23*
back through 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 Watchtowers WP 1/69 to 1/72 including the
back through Watchtower WP 2/31 → Watchtowers WP 1/69 to 1/72 including the is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.