Watchtowers WP 2/35 to 2/48 including the and Fortlet Eichkopf
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
177 km
Riding-time estimate
3 h 22
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.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Holzhausen an der Haide it runs 177 km to Holzhausen an der Haide; allow about 3 h 22 of riding. It goes by way of Watchtowers WP 3/15 to 3/19 including the, Watchtower WP 3/49*, Fortlet Eichkopf and back through Watchtower WP 3/49*.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Watchtowers WP 2/35 to 2/48 including the
West of the Taunus ridge, where the high country rolls down toward the Rhine gorge and the Lahn, the line of the Upper German Limes runs through farmland and forest near the villages of Holzhausen an der Haide, Katzenelnbogen and Nastätten. Archaeologists have catalogued the sites of the watchtowers along this stretch, numbered WP 2/35 to 2/48, and near Holzhausen are the remains of a stone fort, well preserved and easily visited, with its walls and gate outlines clear in the grass. The Limes here consisted of a palisade of wooden stakes, later backed by a ditch and bank, with watchtowers at regular intervals and forts a few kilometres behind. It formed the frontier of the Roman Empire for more than a century and a half.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 2/35 to 2/48 including the is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 3/15 to 3/19 including the.
2. Watchtowers WP 3/15 to 3/19 including the
In the hills of the Taunus north of Wiesbaden, the Roman frontier ran along the ridges through dense forest, and between watchtowers 3/15 and 3/19 near Idstein, its line can still be traced on the ground. The Romans built an earth bank and ditch, topped with a wooden palisade, with stone watchtowers at regular intervals, close enough to see each other and signal along the line. In the forest, the bank and ditch survive as a long, low ridge and hollow, and the foundations of watchtowers appear as low mounds, sometimes with a few stones visible. The Upper Germanic and Raetian Limes, more than five hundred kilometres long, has been a World Heritage site since 2005.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 3/15 to 3/19 including the comes up 25 km in. Next is Watchtower WP 3/49*.
3. Watchtower WP 3/49*
High in the Taunus, the wooded hills northwest of Frankfurt, the Roman Limes followed the ridge line, and its watchtowers looked out over the forests to the north. Watchtower WP 3/49, near Schmitten and Glashütten, is one of hundreds of such posts recorded along the frontier, and today its remains lie in the woods, a low mound or a scatter of stones. The Limes path, a long-distance walking trail, follows the line through the forest, and walkers can trace the ditch and bank of the old frontier for kilometres. The whole line is part of the Upper German-Raetian Limes World Heritage site.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
50 km in you reach Watchtower WP 3/49*. Next is Fortlet Eichkopf.
4. Fortlet Eichkopf
Deep in the forest on the eastern slopes of the Taunus, near Ober-Mörlen, the Romans built a small fortlet known today as Eichkopf, after the wooded hill on which it stands. It was one of the many minor installations along the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes, the frontier that separated the Roman Empire from the free Germanic tribes, and it housed a small detachment of soldiers who patrolled the line and manned the nearby watchtowers. The outline of the fortlet is still visible as a low rampart and ditch among the trees, and nearby, the line of the frontier itself, with its bank and ditch, can be traced through the forest. It is part of the World Heritage site of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 2/35 to 2/48 including the closes the day.
Leg by leg
Watchtowers WP 2/35 to 2/48 including the to Watchtowers WP 3/15 to 3/19 including the
Watchtowers WP 2/35 to 2/48 including the → Watchtowers WP 3/15 to 3/19 including the is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 3/15 to 3/19 including the to Watchtower WP 3/49*
Watchtowers WP 3/15 to 3/19 including the → Watchtower WP 3/49* is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtower WP 3/49* to Fortlet Eichkopf
Watchtower WP 3/49* → Fortlet Eichkopf is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fortlet Eichkopf to back through Watchtower WP 3/49*
Fortlet Eichkopf → back through Watchtower WP 3/49* is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtower WP 3/49* to back through Watchtowers WP 3/15 to 3/19 including the
back through Watchtower WP 3/49* → back through Watchtowers WP 3/15 to 3/19 including the is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 3/15 to 3/19 including the to Watchtowers WP 2/35 to 2/48 including the
back through Watchtowers WP 3/15 to 3/19 including the → Watchtowers WP 2/35 to 2/48 including the is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.