Watchtowers WP 7/1 to 7/36 including fortl and Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
71 km
Riding-time estimate
1 h 07
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.
A 71 km round trip from Miltenberg - roughly 1 h 07 in the saddle. It goes by way of Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth, Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb and back through Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Watchtowers WP 7/1 to 7/36 including fortl
At Miltenberg, the Roman frontier did something unusual: it stopped being a wall and became a river. North of the town, the Main served as the frontier for some fifty kilometres, guarded by forts and watchtowers along its western bank, and here, where the river bends, the land frontier began again, heading south through the Odenwald. The watchtowers WP 7/1 to 7/36 belong to this stretch, and while most are only traces in fields and forests, they are part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire. The Romans built forts at Miltenberg, too, and some of their finds are displayed in the town museum.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 7/1 to 7/36 including fortl is where the day begins. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth.
2. Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth
For a stretch of about fifty kilometres, the Roman frontier of Upper Germany did not need a wall at all. Between Großkrotzenburg and Miltenberg, the Main river itself served as the border, and the Romans lined its western bank with forts and watchtowers to watch over the water and the forested hills of the Spessart on the other side. Wörth am Main had one of these forts, with a civil settlement where soldiers' families, traders and craftsmen lived. Very little remains above ground, but this wet frontier is inscribed as part of the Upper German Limes, and standing on the riverbank you can see why the Romans thought the river was enough.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth comes up about 17 km into the recorded legs. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb.
3. Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb
For one stretch of the Roman frontier in Germany, the soldiers did not need to build a wall at all. Between Großkrotzenburg and Miltenberg, the Main river itself served as the border, the so-called wet Limes, guarded by a chain of forts along its western bank. Niedernberg, a village on the river just below Aschaffenburg, was one of them, with a fort and a civilian settlement beside it. Little survives above ground today; the remains lie beneath fields and houses. But the Main still flows past, broad and slow, and it is easy to picture patrol boats and soldiers watching the far bank. The site is part of the Upper German-Raetian Limes World Heritage listing.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Watchtowers WP 7/1 to 7/36 including fortl. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Watchtowers WP 7/1 to 7/36 including fortl to Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth
Watchtowers WP 7/1 to 7/36 including fortl → Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth to Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb
Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth → Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb to back through Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth
Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb → back through Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth to Watchtowers WP 7/1 to 7/36 including fortl
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Wörth → Watchtowers WP 7/1 to 7/36 including fortl is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.