Welzheim had not one but two Roman forts, and that alone tells you how seriously the frontier was taken in the Swabian Forest. The larger west fort held a cavalry unit, while the smaller east fort, now an archaeological park on the edge of town, housed an auxiliary infantry detachment. At the east fort the west gate has been rebuilt to its full height, and standing in front of it you get a rare sense of scale that low foundations never give. Around both forts lay the civil settlement, the vicus, with workshops, taverns and homes.
The town sits on the high ground of the Welzheimer Wald, part of the Swabian-Franconian Forest east of Stuttgart. Just north of here the Upper Germanic Limes runs in an astonishingly straight line, roughly eighty kilometres from near Walldürn down to the Haghof near Welzheim, ignoring hills and valleys as if drawn with a ruler. Surveyors still argue over how the Romans achieved it. South of Welzheim the frontier turned east along the line of the Raetian Limes.
This is lovely riding country, and the locals know it. The roads around Welzheim twist through spruce and beech forest, drop into narrow valleys like the Wieslauftal and climb back up in tight sequences of bends, with sawmills, old mills and small hamlets along the way. Surfaces are generally decent, but shaded corners stay damp and leaves pile up in autumn. On sunny weekends there are many bikes and plenty of cyclists, and noise complaints have led to restrictions on some routes in the region, so ride with some courtesy.
The Schwäbische Waldbahn, a restored railway line from Schorndorf up to Welzheim, crosses tall viaducts in the Wieslauf valley, and when steam specials run you may see a plume of smoke drifting over the trees. The Laufenmühle on the valley floor is a well known stop for walkers and riders alike. Further north, Murrhardt has its own Roman fort site and a lovely old monastery church.
Welzheim, with around eleven thousand people, is right next to the fort and has fuel, supermarkets, bakeries and a few restaurants. Alfdorf and Kaisersbach are smaller villages nearby. The east fort park is open ground with information boards and a short walk from the town centre, so leave the bike in town and stroll over.