The Altmühl valley is one of the most beautiful river valleys in Bavaria, and near the village of Böhming, a short way upstream from Kipfenberg, the Romans built a small fort to guard the point where their frontier, the Raetian Limes, crossed the river. The Limes here came down from the plateau, crossed the valley and climbed again on the other side, and the fort, with its civil settlement, controlled the crossing and the route along the river. Little is visible today beyond outlines in the fields and a few marked spots, but a stone inscription found here and the finds displayed in the Roman and Bavarian museum in Kipfenberg bring the site to life.
The Altmühl valley cuts through the limestone of the Franconian Jura, and the landscape is dramatic for southern Germany: steep slopes covered in juniper heath, white limestone cliffs, and the slow, meandering river below. This is fossil country too. The quarries of Solnhofen and Eichstätt, not far away, produced the famous Archaeopteryx fossils, the feathered dinosaur-bird, and the Jura Museum in Eichstätt displays one. Kipfenberg, with its fairy-tale castle on a rock above the river, is said to lie close to the geographic centre of Bavaria.
Riding through the Altmühltal is a joy. The roads follow the river through the valley, with gentle curves, good surfaces and constant views of the cliffs and the water, and side roads climb onto the plateau with steeper gradients and tighter bends. The valley is popular with cyclists and canoeists, so watch out for both in summer. On the plateau, the roads become straighter and more open, crossing fields and forests. The valley can be misty in the morning, especially in autumn, when the colours are wonderful.
Kipfenberg, a few kilometres away, has cafés, guesthouses and small shops, while Greding, Eichstätt and Gaimersheim offer fuel and more services. Bavarian food is hearty: try roast pork with dumplings, sausages, or freshwater fish from the river, with a local beer if you are done riding. Stop by the river near Böhming, look up at the slopes where the Limes once climbed, and enjoy the peaceful valley. Then head to Kipfenberg for the castle and the museum.