South of Bonn the land rises into the Kottenforst, a big forest on a low plateau that the archbishops of Cologne once kept as a hunting ground. They cut long straight rides through it, many meeting at star-shaped junctions so that a hunting party could see the quarry and follow it, and the pattern survives. The woods are mostly beech and oak, with a few conifer plantations and damp hollows, and they cover a large part of the area between Bonn, Meckenheim and Wachtberg. The Riesenweg, the Giants' Way, is one of the paths that cross it, a name that suggests something older and bigger than the track you walk on.
This is also Roman country. The aqueduct that carried water from the Eifel to Cologne, a channel of about 95 km, ran along the edge of this region, and traces of it can be seen in the forest and the villages, in the form of a buried channel, an access shaft and a few preserved sections. The Romans needed their frontier city on the Rhine to have clean water, and this was their way of getting it. It is a modest remnant, but it makes you think about how much planning went into a city.
The roads through and around the forest are quiet and pleasant, if not dramatic. Narrow lanes cross open farmland and woods with gentle curves, with the Siebengebirge, the seven hills of the Rhine, rising to the east. Many forest tracks are closed to motor traffic, so stay on the public roads and respect the signs. At weekends the area is busy with walkers, cyclists and horse riders, and the Bonn region has plenty of traffic, so a weekday morning is best. Autumn colour is very good.
Wachtberg, with about 20,000 people three kilometres away, and Meckenheim, a larger place, have fuel, shops and cafés. Bad Godesberg, now part of Bonn, was the diplomatic quarter in the days when Bonn was the capital and is a stylish place for a coffee. The Rhine and the Ahr valley, famous for red wine from Spätburgunder grapes, are both within reach, and the Ahr, which was badly hit by floods in 2021, is still recovering, so a visit supports local businesses. Watch for deer at dusk.