The Professorenweg, the Professors' Way, was a path where Bonn's university teachers walked in the afternoons, and the name still suggests thoughtful strolling. It runs along the high ground of the southern Kottenforst, in the hills of Wachtberg, above the Rhine valley, and the area has been a favourite for walkers since the days when Bonn was a quiet university town on the river rather than a capital.
The southern part of the Kottenforst is hillier than the northern part, with views opening between the trees across the plain to the Siebengebirge, the seven hills on the other side of the Rhine, with the ruin of Drachenfels castle on its summit. Legend says a dragon lived there, killed by Siegfried of the Nibelungen, who bathed in its blood. On a clear day, the line of hills looks like a painted backdrop, and in autumn, with the leaves turned, the view is wonderful.
Wachtberg is a scatter of villages on a ridge, with orchards, meadows and the occasional vineyard on the slopes, a fruit-growing region with a prosperous, tidy character. The area was home to many embassies and government staff when Bonn was the capital of West Germany, and some of the large villas date from that period. Farther south, the Ahr valley, a famous red wine region, is a short ride away.
Motor vehicles are not allowed on the forest paths, so riders stay on the public roads that wind around the edge of the forest and across the ridge. These are good, quiet roads with easy curves and some fine views, and the main hazards are cyclists and walkers on sunny weekends, and farm vehicles in harvest time. Fuel is available in Wachtberg and Bonn, which has all services, and the nearby Rhine promenade at Bad Godesberg is a pleasant place for a coffee. Spring, with blossom on the orchards, and autumn, with colour in the beeches, are the best seasons. Winter fog can reduce visibility on the ridge.