Watchtowers WP 7/1 to 7/36 including fortl and Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
340 km
Riding-time estimate
5 h 21
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.
From Miltenberg it runs 340 km to Miltenberg; allow about 5 h 21 of riding. On the way it passes Fort site and civil settlement of Jagsthau, Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par and back through Fort site and civil settlement of Jagsthau. The line favours views over speed.
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 Jagsthau.
2. Fort site and civil settlement of Jagsthau
Jagsthausen is a village of around fifteen hundred people in the Jagst valley of northern Württemberg, and it punches far above its weight in history. The Romans built a fort here on the Upper German-Raetian Limes, with a civilian settlement and a bath house, part of the UNESCO-listed frontier. But the village is better known for a later resident: Götz von Berlichingen, the knight with the iron hand, who was born in the castle here around 1480. He lost his right hand in battle and had a mechanical one made, led peasants in the war of 1525, and became the hero of a play by Goethe that contains a famously rude line that Germans still quote.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort site and civil settlement of Jagsthau comes up about 94 km into the recorded legs. Next is Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par.
3. Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par
In the Swabian Forest east of Stuttgart, the Roman frontier ran as straight as a ruler for some eighty kilometres, ignoring hills and valleys in a way that still puzzles historians. Welzheim lies on this straight stretch of the Upper German-Raetian Limes, and the town had two Roman forts, the west and east forts, with a civil settlement around them. The northern part of the settlement near the east fort is one of the components of the Limes World Heritage Site, and the Ostkastell has been turned into an archaeological park with a reconstructed gate.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 170 km into the recorded legs you reach Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par. Next is back through Fort site and civil settlement of Jagsthau.
4. back through Fort site and civil settlement of Jagsthau
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 Jagsthau
Watchtowers WP 7/1 to 7/36 including fortl → Fort site and civil settlement of Jagsthau is 94 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Jagsthau to Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par
Fort site and civil settlement of Jagsthau → Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par is 76 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par to back through Fort site and civil settlement of Jagsthau
Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par → back through Fort site and civil settlement of Jagsthau is 77 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Jagsthau to Watchtowers WP 7/1 to 7/36 including fortl
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Jagsthau → Watchtowers WP 7/1 to 7/36 including fortl is 94 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.