Bad Gogging is a spa town, and it has been one for nearly two thousand years. The Romans found hot sulphur springs here, in the Danube plain between Abensberg and Neustadt, and built a bathhouse beside the fort of Abusina, a short distance away. The spring water still rises, smelling of eggs, and the modern spa uses it for treatments. Excavated Roman baths are displayed in the town, and the heating channels and pools give a good idea of how the Romans relaxed after a day on the frontier.
The spa came back into use in the 1960s, when drilling for oil in the Danube plain found warm sulphurous water at depth. Since then Bad Gogging has become one of Bavaria's thermal resorts, and its hotels and clinics fill the streets around the spa gardens. The town's pride in its Roman past is clear. The Danube Limes, of which this is a part, was listed by UNESCO in 2021.
The countryside here is the Hallertau, the largest hop growing region in the world, and in late summer the fields are full of tall green hop plants on high wires, with a heavy resinous smell. Roads run straight across the plain with slight rises and falls, and the villages are Bavarian, with onion-domed churches and beer gardens. Abensberg is known for its beer and for a tower designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser at a brewery. A short ride east, the Danube squeezes through the gorge of Weltenburg, where an abbey stands on the bank.
Neustadt an der Donau and Abensberg, both about twelve thousand people, have fuel and shops. Try the local beer, a hearty meal of roast pork and dumplings, and the Bavarian soft pretzel. Weather is moderate, with warm summers and cold winters. In late summer, when the hops are ready, the area is at its best, and the light is golden. A swim in the thermal water is a good way to end a day on the bike.