Why this ride
A 288 km round trip from Forchtenberg - roughly 4 h 40 in the saddle. On the way it passes Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par, Building remains of south of Pfahlheim and back through Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtowers WP 9/2* to 9/13 and Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 288 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 40
- 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 9/2* to 9/13
Götz von Berlichingen, the knight with the iron hand, was born at Jagsthausen castle in about 1480, and he would probably be amused to know that he is best remembered today for a rude phrase. In Goethe's play about him, Götz tells an imperial messenger exactly what the emperor can do, a line that every German knows. The castle still stands in the village, now a hotel, and in summer the Burgfestspiele, an open-air theatre festival, stages the play in the castle courtyard. Long before Götz, the Romans were here too: a fort stood at Jagsthausen on the line of the Upper Germanic Limes, and in the hills around, a series of watchtowers, numbered by archaeologists as WP 9/2 to 9/13, kept watch along the frontier.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 9/2* to 9/13 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 9/2* to 9/13 is where the day begins. Next is Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par.
2. 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.
Read the complete Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par 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 144 km into the recorded legs you reach Building remains of south of Pfahlheim. Next is back through Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par.
4. back through Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par, late in the day. Next is Watchtowers WP 9/2* to 9/13.
5. Watchtowers WP 9/2* to 9/13
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 9/2* to 9/13 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 9/2* to 9/13. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Watchtowers WP 9/2* to 9/13 to Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par
Watchtowers WP 9/2* to 9/13 → Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par is 75 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par to Building remains of south of Pfahlheim
Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par → Building remains of south of Pfahlheim is 69 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim to back through Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par
Building remains of south of Pfahlheim → back through Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par is 69 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par to Watchtowers WP 9/2* to 9/13
back through Welzheim-Ost civil settlement northern par → Watchtowers WP 9/2* to 9/13 is 76 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.