Here the Rhine stops being a German river. Just downstream of the village of Keeken, the great river crosses the border into the Netherlands, and a few kilometres further on it divides, with the Waal carrying most of the water west and the Pannerdens Canal leading to the Nederrijn and the IJssel. In Roman times, this was the northern frontier of the empire, the Lower German Limes, and Keeken is one of the sites listed as part of the UNESCO frontier, with traces of Roman military installations along the old river course.
The landscape is the Lower Rhine at its most typical: wide flood meadows, dikes, poplars and willows, cows grazing on the floodplains, and the river busy with barges heading to and from Rotterdam. The sky is huge, and the light is soft and changing, beloved of Dutch painters. Birdwatchers come for the geese that winter here in huge numbers, and in the evening their calls fill the air.
Riding here is flat and peaceful, with narrow dike roads offering views over the river and the meadows, though some are closed to motor traffic or have weight restrictions. The wind can be strong, blowing across the open land. To the south, the hills of the Reichswald, a large forest near Kleve, offer a change of scenery, and the roads through it are pleasant. Traffic is light, apart from local farmers and cyclists, and the border is open, so you can wander back and forth between Germany and the Netherlands without noticing.
Kleve, about seven kilometres away, is the nearest larger town, with fuel, shops and restaurants. The Schwanenburg, the swan castle on a hill in the centre, is linked to the legend of Lohengrin, the swan knight, and the town has beautiful baroque gardens. Emmerich, across the river, has a long Rhine promenade, and Tolkamer and Lobith have riverside cafés where you can watch the ships go by. Local specialities include asparagus in spring and hearty Lower Rhine dishes.