Why this ride
A 280 km round trip from Jagsthausen - roughly 4 h 45 in the saddle. It goes by way of Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th, Building remains of south of Pfahlheim and back through Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtowers WP 8/44 to 9/2 and Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 280 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 45
- 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 8/44 to 9/2
The Jagst is a small, winding river in northern Württemberg, and between Jagsthausen and Möckmühl it runs through a valley of orchards, wooded slopes and half-timbered villages. The Roman frontier ran along this side of the river, and watchtowers 8/44 to 9/2 sit on the high ground above. They belong to the Upper German-Raetian Limes, inscribed by UNESCO in 2005, which here ran in a remarkably straight line for many kilometres, a feat of surveying that still impresses. The Romans needed to hold a rim of high ground and chose a line that ignored the little hills, which is why the old frontier looks like a ruler line across the map.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 8/44 to 9/2 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 8/44 to 9/2 is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th.
2. Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th
There is a stretch of the Roman frontier in southern Germany that runs almost perfectly straight for about eighty kilometres, from Walldürn in the Odenwald to near Welzheim in the Swabian-Franconian Forest, ignoring hills and valleys alike, as if the surveyors had simply drawn a line on a map. The watchtowers numbered WP 9/101 to 9/131 stand near the southern end of that line, in the forests around Kaisersbach and Welzheim, where the Limes finally turns.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th comes up about 75 km into the recorded legs. Next is Building remains of south of Pfahlheim.
3. Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
The name of the village gives the game away. Pfahlheim, a part of Ellwangen in the Ostalb, takes its name from the Pfahl, the stake line, which is what generations of farmers called the Roman frontier that ran through their fields. Here, at the edge of what is now Baden-Württemberg, the Upper German Limes and the Raetian Limes met, and the building remains south of the village are one of many small components of the UNESCO-listed Upper German-Raetian Limes. The frontier ran almost dead straight across this country for long distances, ignoring hills and streams in a way that still baffles people. There is very little to see on the ground today, perhaps a low bank or a signboard, but the line can be traced by eye if you know where to look.
Read the complete Building remains of south of Pfahlheim write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 140 km into the recorded legs you reach Building remains of south of Pfahlheim. Next is back through Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th.
4. back through Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th 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 9/101 to 9/131 including th, late in the day. Next is Watchtowers WP 8/44 to 9/2.
5. Watchtowers WP 8/44 to 9/2
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 8/44 to 9/2 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 8/44 to 9/2. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Watchtowers WP 8/44 to 9/2 to Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th
Watchtowers WP 8/44 to 9/2 → Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th is 75 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th to Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th → Building remains of south of Pfahlheim is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim to back through Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim → back through Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th to Watchtowers WP 8/44 to 9/2
back through Watchtowers WP 9/101 to 9/131 including th → Watchtowers WP 8/44 to 9/2 is 76 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.