South of Kleve, near the Dutch border, the Reichswald is one of the largest forests in the Lower Rhine region, a mix of oak, beech and pine on a low ridge of sand and gravel left behind by the glaciers of the Ice Age. On its edge, the Romans built military installations as part of the Lower German Limes, the frontier along the Rhine, and the remains in the Reichswald, including traces of camps, are part of the World Heritage site listed by UNESCO in 2021. There is little to see above ground, but the forest itself is a quiet, beautiful place to walk.
The Reichswald also bears the scars of a much more recent conflict. In February 1945, the Allies launched Operation Veritable through this forest to clear the way to the Rhine, and the fighting was brutal, in mud, flooded fields and dense woods. The Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in Germany, contains the graves of thousands of soldiers, mostly British and Canadian, and it is a deeply moving place to visit. Kleve itself was heavily damaged in the war and has since been rebuilt around its castle, the Schwanenburg, which according to legend was where Lohengrin, the swan knight, arrived on the river.
Riding in this corner of Germany is mostly flat and gentle, with long straight roads through farmland, villages and forest, and dyke roads along the Rhine with wide views across the river meadows. Wind can be strong, and fog is common in autumn and winter. The roads are generally in good condition, and traffic is light outside the towns. It is easy to cross into the Netherlands, where roads are well marked and often have separate cycle lanes, and the Dutch town of Nijmegen, one of the oldest in the country, is just a short ride away.
Kleve, with around fifty thousand people, covers fuel and food without fuss. On the plate, expect Lower Rhine comfort: Reibekuchen, potato pancakes with apple sauce, and asparagus in season. The Schwanenburg has a museum and a tower with views across the flat land to the Netherlands.