At Eining, on the Danube in Lower Bavaria, the Roman frontier of Raetia met the river. The Raetian Limes, a stone wall running for over a hundred and sixty kilometres across southern Germany, ended near here at Hienheim on the opposite bank, and from there the Danube itself formed the border all the way to the Black Sea. The Romans built the fort of Abusina at Eining, whose stone foundations are among the best preserved in Bavaria, and on the Weinberg, a hill nearby, they built a watchtower and a sanctuary, where soldiers worshipped their gods. Unusually, two separate World Heritage frontiers touch here: the Raetian Limes on land and the Danube Limes along the river.
A short distance upstream, the Danube cuts through a narrow gorge of white limestone cliffs, the Weltenburg Narrows, one of the most beautiful river landscapes in Germany. At the entrance to the gorge stands Weltenburg Abbey, a Benedictine monastery with a dazzling baroque church by the Asam brothers and a brewery that claims to be the oldest monastery brewery in the world. Boats run through the gorge between Weltenburg and Kelheim, where the Befreiungshalle, a huge round hall built by King Ludwig I to commemorate the wars against Napoleon, crowns a hill above the town.
Bad Gögging, right next to Eining, is a spa town with thermal baths, and the Romans also had baths here. Abensberg, a few kilometres to the south, is famous for its white asparagus and for the Kuchlbauer tower, a colourful, whimsical tower designed in the style of the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser for a local brewery.
The riding in this part of Bavaria is pleasant, on country roads through farmland, hop gardens and forests, with gentle hills and the Danube valley. The Hallertau, the largest hop-growing region in the world, lies just to the south, and in late summer the hop poles are covered in green. Petrol and food are easy in Neustadt an der Donau, seven kilometres away, or in Abensberg. Watch for tractors, cyclists on the Danube cycle route and speed cameras. Try a beer from one of the many local breweries, with a Bavarian snack like Obatzda, a cheese spread, and fresh pretzels.