Why this ride
80 km from Öhringen to Öhringen, about 1 h 46 of riding. It goes by way of Building remains south of the watchtower W, Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard and back through Building remains south of the watchtower W.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 and Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 80 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 46
- 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 9/33 to 9/35
Öhringen had not one but two Roman forts, known today as the Bürgkastell and the Rendelkastell, both on the Upper Germanic Limes, which ran past the town on its way south. The watchtowers numbered here were part of that frontier, and the town grew partly on the remains of the Roman settlement that clustered around the forts. Little is visible above ground, but finds are displayed in the local museum, and the line of the Limes can be followed on foot or by bike through the surrounding countryside.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 is where the day begins. Next is Building remains south of the watchtower W.
2. Building remains south of the watchtower W
Mainhardt sits high in the Swabian-Franconian Forest, between Heilbronn and Schwäbisch Hall, on a wooded plateau that the Romans chose for one of the forts guarding their frontier. The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes runs through here on its long, ruler-straight stretch heading south towards Welzheim, and along it stood watchtowers every few hundred metres, with small buildings nearby for the soldiers who manned them. The remains south of one of these towers are modest, low foundations in a clearing or under the forest floor, but they are part of the World Heritage frontier that runs for more than five hundred kilometres across Germany. The village has a small Roman museum that explains the fort and its garrison.
Read the complete Building remains south of the watchtower W write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Building remains south of the watchtower W comes up about 20 km into the recorded legs. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard.
3. Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard
A Roman cohort fort once stood where Murrhardt's streets now run, on the Upper Germanic Limes as it cut south through the forest toward Welzheim, and a civilian settlement of traders, craftsmen and soldiers' families grew up around it. Some remains have been found under the town, and the local museum tells the story. The Romans left, but the site remained attractive, and in the early Middle Ages a monastery was founded here, associated with Saint Walterich, a hermit whose small chapel, the Walterichskapelle, is a jewel of late Romanesque architecture.
Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 40 km into the recorded legs you reach Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard. Next is back through Building remains south of the watchtower W.
4. back through Building remains south of the watchtower W
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Building remains south of the watchtower W write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Building remains south of the watchtower W, late in the day. Next is Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35.
5. Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 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 9/33 to 9/35. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 to Building remains south of the watchtower W
Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 → Building remains south of the watchtower W is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Building remains south of the watchtower W to Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard
Building remains south of the watchtower W → Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard to back through Building remains south of the watchtower W
Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard → back through Building remains south of the watchtower W is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Building remains south of the watchtower W to Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35
back through Building remains south of the watchtower W → Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.