For one stretch of the Roman frontier in Germany, the soldiers did not need to build a wall at all. Between Großkrotzenburg and Miltenberg, the Main river itself served as the border, the so-called wet Limes, guarded by a chain of forts along its western bank. Niedernberg, a village on the river just below Aschaffenburg, was one of them, with a fort and a civilian settlement beside it. Little survives above ground today; the remains lie beneath fields and houses. But the Main still flows past, broad and slow, and it is easy to picture patrol boats and soldiers watching the far bank. The site is part of the Upper German-Raetian Limes World Heritage listing.
The river valley here is a gentle landscape of meadows, gravel pits turned into lakes, villages and vineyards on the slopes. Niedernberg has a popular bathing lake, and in summer people come to swim, sail and lie on the beaches. A cycle path runs along the river, busy at weekends.
Aschaffenburg, a few kilometres downstream, was for centuries the second residence of the Archbishops of Mainz, and their great red sandstone palace, Schloss Johannisburg, stands above the river. Nearby, King Ludwig I of Bavaria built the Pompejanum, a replica of a Roman villa from Pompeii, with painted walls and a garden, an unexpected sight in a German town.
The riding in the valley itself is flat and often busy, but the hills on both sides are excellent. To the east, the Spessart is a vast forest of oak and beech, with winding roads, small villages and very little traffic, a favourite with riders. To the south, the Odenwald offers similar pleasures, with roads that twist through wooded valleys and over ridges, past castles and half-timbered towns such as Miltenberg and Amorbach. Surfaces are generally good, but watch for deer, forestry vehicles and cyclists, and note that some popular roads in the region have speed limits for motorcycles.
Niedernberg and Sulzbach have fuel, shops and inns; Aschaffenburg has everything. The vineyards along the Main produce Franconian wine, often sold in the distinctive round, flat Bocksbeutel bottle. Try a Schoppen, a glass of local wine, in a village tavern. The weather is mild, with warm summers and cool winters; spring and autumn are lovely.