Why this ride
From Heubach it runs 86 km to Heubach; allow about 1 h 27 of riding. It goes by way of Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68, Building remains of south of Pfahlheim and back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtowers WP 12/39 and Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 86 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. Watchtowers WP 12/39
Iggingen is a small village on the plateau above the Rems valley, a few kilometres east of Schwäbisch Gmünd, and like many villages in this part of Württemberg it has a Roman frontier running through its fields. The site labelled Watchtower WP 12/39 sits on the Raetian Limes, the stone wall that marked the edge of Roman Raetia, and from here the line runs eastwards towards Aalen, the largest Roman cavalry fort north of the Alps, now home to an excellent Limes museum.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 12/39 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 12/39 is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68.
2. Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68
The Roman frontier wall known as the Limes ran for more than five hundred kilometres across what is now southern Germany, from the Rhine to the Danube, and near Aalen it passed through the Kocher valley and over the hills of the Ostalb. Along its length, watchtowers were built at regular intervals, numbered by archaeologists in sequence: WP 12/60 to 12/68 are a group of tower sites near Hüttlingen, mostly now visible as low mounds or reconstructed foundations. The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes was inscribed by UNESCO in 2005 as part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 comes up about 21 km into the recorded legs. Next is Building remains of south of Pfahlheim.
3. Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
The name of the village gives the game away. Pfahlheim, a part of Ellwangen in the Ostalb, takes its name from the Pfahl, the stake line, which is what generations of farmers called the Roman frontier that ran through their fields. Here, at the edge of what is now Baden-Württemberg, the Upper German Limes and the Raetian Limes met, and the building remains south of the village are one of many small components of the UNESCO-listed Upper German-Raetian Limes. The frontier ran almost dead straight across this country for long distances, ignoring hills and streams in a way that still baffles people. There is very little to see on the ground today, perhaps a low bank or a signboard, but the line can be traced by eye if you know where to look.
Read the complete Building remains of south of Pfahlheim 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 Building remains of south of Pfahlheim. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68.
4. back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 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 12/60 to 12/68, late in the day. Next is Watchtowers WP 12/39.
5. Watchtowers WP 12/39
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 12/39 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 12/39. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Watchtowers WP 12/39 to Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68
Watchtowers WP 12/39 → Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 to Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 → Building remains of south of Pfahlheim is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim to back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim → back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 to Watchtowers WP 12/39
back through Watchtowers WP 12/60 to 12/68 → Watchtowers WP 12/39 is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.