Why this ride
A 173 km round trip from Wassertrüdingen - roughly 3 h 21 in the saddle. On the way it passes Watchtower WP 13/54, Watchtower WP 14/28, Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53 and Fort site and civil setllement of Weissenb.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtowers WP 13/16 to 13/36 including fo and Fort site and civil setllement of Weissenb
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 173 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 21
- 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 13/16 to 13/36 including fo
The Raetian Limes ran across southern Franconia as a stone wall, and between Wassertrüdingen and Gunzenhausen it climbed over low hills and crossed the valleys of small rivers, with watchtowers at regular intervals. The group from WP 13/16 to 13/36 includes the sites of several towers and a fortlet, now visible as low mounds and foundations, sometimes with reconstructions, and they are part of the Upper German-Raetian Limes World Heritage listing. In the woods and fields, a line of stones or a slight bank may mark the course of the wall.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 13/16 to 13/36 including fo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 13/16 to 13/36 including fo is where the day begins. Next is Watchtower WP 13/54.
2. Watchtower WP 13/54
Gunzenhausen is a small town in Middle Franconia, on the Altmühl river, and the Roman frontier ran right through it. Watchtower WP 13/54 stood within what is now the town, and the course of the frontier is traced through the streets. It is unusual to find the Roman frontier in an urban setting, and it is a nice surprise as you wander the streets.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 13/54 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtower WP 13/54 comes up about 16 km into the recorded legs. Next is Watchtower WP 14/28.
3. Watchtower WP 14/28
Near the Franconian town of Pleinfeld, the Raetian Limes, the stone wall that marked the frontier of the province of Raetia, crossed a landscape of woods, fields and small rivers, and a watchtower stood here, one of hundreds along the line. Watchtower WP 14/28 is now a low mound or reconstructed foundation, but it is part of the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes World Heritage listing. The frontier here was a stone wall, known locally as the Teufelsmauer, the devil's wall, because medieval villagers could not believe that humans had built it.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 14/28 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 36 km into the recorded legs you reach Watchtower WP 14/28. Next is Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53.
4. Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53
In the Altmühl country around Gunzenhausen the Roman frontier is a wall rather than a fence. Far to the west it was a timber palisade, earth bank and ditch, but from the edge of the Swabian Alb eastward the Romans replaced it with something sturdier, a stone wall that runs for many kilometres across Bavaria, which locals later nicknamed the Devil's Wall, the Teufelsmauer, because it seemed too big to have been made by men. The watchtowers numbered 13/51 to 13/53 belong to that stone-wall stretch, and they were small square towers of stone or timber that stood just behind the line, with a view over the valley and the next tower in the chain.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53, about halfway. Next is Fort site and civil setllement of Weissenb.
5. Fort site and civil setllement of Weissenb
Weißenburg in Bayern is the best Roman stop in this part of Franconia, and the fort here, known in antiquity as Biriciana, was a serious place. It stood on the Upper German-Raetian Limes, which UNESCO listed in 2005, and it held a cavalry unit at its height. Today you can walk the reconstructed gate and walls and then visit the Roman baths, which are among the best preserved in southern Germany and sit under a modern roof beside the old town. In 1979, builders found a hoard of bronze and silver objects buried in the fort's grounds, the Weißenburg treasure, which includes ceremonial armour, and it is now one of the key finds of Roman Bavaria.
Read the complete Fort site and civil setllement of Weissenb write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort site and civil setllement of Weissenb sits at 89 km, about halfway. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53.
6. back through Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53 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 13/51 to 13/53 comes up about 111 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Watchtower WP 14/28.
7. back through Watchtower WP 14/28
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 14/28 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 135 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Watchtower WP 14/28. Next is back through Watchtower WP 13/54.
8. back through Watchtower WP 13/54
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 13/54 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 13/54, late in the day. Next is Watchtowers WP 13/16 to 13/36 including fo.
9. Watchtowers WP 13/16 to 13/36 including fo
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 13/16 to 13/36 including fo 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 173 km.
Leg by leg
Watchtowers WP 13/16 to 13/36 including fo to Watchtower WP 13/54
Watchtowers WP 13/16 to 13/36 including fo → Watchtower WP 13/54 is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtower WP 13/54 to Watchtower WP 14/28
Watchtower WP 13/54 → Watchtower WP 14/28 is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtower WP 14/28 to Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53
Watchtower WP 14/28 → Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53 is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53 to Fort site and civil setllement of Weissenb
Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53 → Fort site and civil setllement of Weissenb is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil setllement of Weissenb to back through Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53
Fort site and civil setllement of Weissenb → back through Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53 is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53 to back through Watchtower WP 14/28
back through Watchtowers WP 13/51 to 13/53 → back through Watchtower WP 14/28 is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtower WP 14/28 to back through Watchtower WP 13/54
back through Watchtower WP 14/28 → back through Watchtower WP 13/54 is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtower WP 13/54 to Watchtowers WP 13/16 to 13/36 including fo
back through Watchtower WP 13/54 → Watchtowers WP 13/16 to 13/36 including fo is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Watchtowers WP 13/6 to 13/12 and Watchtowers WP 14/63 to 14/78 including fo · 184 km
- Limessection between Watchtowers WP 13/5 a and Watchtowers WP 14/29 to 14/62 including fo · 278 km
- Watchtowers WP 14/29 to 14/62 including fo and Watchtowers WP 12/86 to 13/5 including for · 182 km
- Fort site of Burgsalach and Watchtowers WP 12/86 to 13/5 including for · 183 km