Why this ride
A 75 km round trip from Hungen - roughly 1 h 22 in the saddle. On the way it passes Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the, Watchtowers WP 4/20 to 4/36 including the and back through Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtowers WP 4/72 to 4/73 and Watchtowers WP 4/20 to 4/36 including the
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 75 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 22
- 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 4/72 to 4/73
Behind the name is a number system, because the Limes archaeologists gave every watchtower a code. WP means Wachposten, a watchtower, and 4/72 means the seventy-second one on the fourth section of the frontier, the one that crosses the Wetterau. This pair of towers stands in farmland near Hungen, in central Hesse, and the Romans placed them on a gentle rise from which a watchman could see across the open plain and signal to the next tower along the line.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 4/72 to 4/73 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 4/72 to 4/73 is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the.
2. Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the
North of Frankfurt, the Wetterau opens out as a wide, fertile basin between the Taunus and the Vogelsberg, and the Roman frontier made a long bulge around it to bring this rich farmland inside the empire. This section of the Upper Germanic Limes, with watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52, runs through the woods and fields between Langgöns and Lich, at the northern tip of that bulge. The towers are long gone, but traces of the wall and ditch can still be found in the forest.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 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 4/45 to 4/52 including the comes up about 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is Watchtowers WP 4/20 to 4/36 including the.
3. Watchtowers WP 4/20 to 4/36 including the
Near Butzbach the Wetterau starts to break against the Taunus, and the Roman frontier passes through that transition with a long series of numbered watchtowers, in this case 4/20 to 4/36. It is a longer run than most, and it reflects how carefully the Romans watched this side of the line, where the open plain makes a natural highway for anyone coming from the north. The Upper German-Raetian Limes, listed by UNESCO in 2005, crosses farmland here, and in places the old rampart survives as a low bank in a meadow edge or a stretch of forest.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 4/20 to 4/36 including the write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 37 km into the recorded legs you reach Watchtowers WP 4/20 to 4/36 including the. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the.
4. back through Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the 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 4/45 to 4/52 including the, late in the day. Next is Watchtowers WP 4/72 to 4/73.
5. Watchtowers WP 4/72 to 4/73
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 4/72 to 4/73 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 4/72 to 4/73. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Watchtowers WP 4/72 to 4/73 to Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the
Watchtowers WP 4/72 to 4/73 → Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the to Watchtowers WP 4/20 to 4/36 including the
Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the → Watchtowers WP 4/20 to 4/36 including the is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 4/20 to 4/36 including the to back through Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the
Watchtowers WP 4/20 to 4/36 including the → back through Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the to Watchtowers WP 4/72 to 4/73
back through Watchtowers WP 4/45 to 4/52 including the → Watchtowers WP 4/72 to 4/73 is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.