Why this ride
A 93 km round trip from Singhofen - roughly 1 h 54 in the saddle. On the way it passes Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em, Watchtower WP 1/64 and back through Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 and Watchtower WP 1/64
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 93 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 54
- 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 27 km this is Moselle Wine Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 27 km
- Named road
- Moselle Wine Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22
A few kilometres west of Miehlen, the Limes crosses the Einrich, a high, open plateau of fields and meadows between the Rhine and the Lahn, and the stretch with watchtowers 2/20 to 2/22, near Singhofen and Holzhausen an der Haide, is one of the quietest parts of the whole frontier. Nearby, the fort of Holzhausen is one of the best-preserved Roman forts on the Limes, with its stone walls, gates and corner towers clearly visible in the forest, a rare sight on a frontier where most remains have vanished into the fields. The whole line is part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 is where the day begins. Next is Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em.
2. Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em
Bad Ems has been a spa town since the Romans noticed the springs, and today it is a handsome, slightly faded place squeezed into the narrow Lahn valley between wooded hills. The town and its surroundings sit on the line of the Upper Germanic Limes, which the Roman Empire pushed through here to protect the valley and its minerals. A fortlet and a watchtower were built on the heights above the river, and the remains give the numbered label its meaning. Walk a short way up and you can see why the soldiers picked the spot: the slopes drop sharply to the water, and the view along the valley is long.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em comes up about 21 km into the recorded legs. Next is Watchtower WP 1/64.
3. Watchtower WP 1/64
Höhr-Grenzhausen smells of clay and fire. The town, in the Westerwald hills north east of Koblenz, is the heart of the Kannenbäckerland, the jug-bakers' land, where potters have been making salt-glazed stoneware for centuries, with its characteristic grey body and cobalt blue decoration. Westerwald stoneware jugs, mugs and pots were exported across Europe and beyond, and the craft is still alive today, with workshops, a ceramics museum and a college for ceramic design. The Roman frontier ran right past the town, and the site of watchtower WP 1/64, near Höhr-Grenzhausen, is one of the many traces of the Upper German Limes, part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 1/64 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 48 km into the recorded legs you reach Watchtower WP 1/64. Next is back through Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em.
4. back through Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em 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 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em, late in the day. Next is Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22.
5. Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 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 2/20 to 2/22. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 to Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em
Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 → Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em to Watchtower WP 1/64
Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em → Watchtower WP 1/64 is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtower WP 1/64 to back through Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em
Watchtower WP 1/64 → back through Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em to Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22
back through Watchtower WP 2/1 including fortlet Bad Em → Watchtowers WP 2/20 to 2/22 is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.