Why this ride
A 230 km round trip from Pfofeld - roughly 3 h 49 in the saddle. It goes by way of Building remains of south of Pfahlheim, Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch and back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the and Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 230 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 49
- 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 14/1 to 14/27 including the
Here the frontier changes character. West of the Franconian lakes the Romans built the Raetian Limes not as a palisade but, in its final form, as a stone wall, a metre or so thick and perhaps three high, running across Middle Franconia toward the Danube. Medieval villagers who found its rubble in their fields had no idea who had built it and called it the Teufelsmauer, the Devil's Wall, which tells you how thoroughly the empire had been forgotten. The watchtowers numbered in this section sat along that wall in the farmland around Pfofeld and Gunzenhausen, close to where the line crosses the Altmühl valley.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 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 14/1 to 14/27 including the is where the day begins. Next is Building remains of south of Pfahlheim.
2. 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
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim comes up about 59 km into the recorded legs. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch.
3. Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch
Lorch, in the Rems valley east of Stuttgart, sits on a historic seam. Just outside town, the Upper German Limes, which ran as a palisade and ditch from the Rhine, met the Raetian Limes, the stone wall running east to the Danube, and the Romans built a fort here to watch over that junction and the valley road. The fort lay beneath what is now the old town centre, and its outline, together with traces of the civilian settlement that grew around it, is marked in places in the streets. It is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site, and a reconstructed watchtower stands on a hill nearby.
Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 115 km into the recorded legs you reach Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch. Next is back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim.
4. back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim, late in the day. Next is Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the.
5. Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the 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 14/1 to 14/27 including the. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the to Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the → Building remains of south of Pfahlheim is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim to Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim → Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch to back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Fort site and civil settlement of Lorsch → back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim to Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the
back through Building remains of south of Pfahlheim → Watchtowers WP 14/1 to 14/27 including the is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.