Marköbel is a village in the eastern Wetterau, the fertile plain north east of Frankfurt, and it stands on the site of a Roman fort that guarded the frontier where it crossed this open country. The fort, with its civilian settlement, the vicus, where merchants, craftsmen and soldiers' families lived, was part of the Upper German Limes, and today little remains above ground, but the village streets still follow parts of the old layout, and a reconstructed section of the frontier and markers explain the history. It is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.
The Wetterau was valuable to the Romans for the same reason it is valuable today: its rich soils, which produce wheat, sugar beet and vegetables in abundance. The frontier made a wide loop here to include the plain within the empire, and the remains of forts, watchtowers and villas are scattered across the area. The Saalburg, a reconstructed Roman fort in the Taunus hills to the west, gives a vivid picture of what these frontier forts looked like, with walls, gates, barracks and a museum.
The riding in the Wetterau is gentle and open, with straight roads through fields and villages, and little traffic outside the towns. To the east, the land rises towards the Vogelsberg, the largest volcanic massif in central Europe, a broad dome of basalt covered in forests and meadows, with winding roads that are popular with riders, especially on summer weekends. The Vogelsberg roads have bends of every kind, good surfaces and fine views, but they are also watched closely by the police, and in the German uplands some popular routes carry weekend restrictions for motorcycles because of noise and accidents, so read the signs.
Nearby, the walled town of Büdingen is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Hesse, with half-timbered houses, a castle and a complete ring of walls. Hammersbach and Langenselbold have fuel and shops, and the larger town of Hanau, birthplace of the Brothers Grimm, is a short ride to the south. The local drink is Apfelwein, a dry, sour cider served in grey stoneware jugs, best enjoyed with hearty Hessian food such as Handkäse mit Musik, a sour cheese marinated with onions. The weather is mild, with warm summers and cool winters.