In the fields near Wilburgstetten, in the west of Franconia, a low ridge runs across the landscape, overgrown with grass and bushes. It looks like nothing much, but it is the remains of the Raetian Limes, the stone wall that marked the frontier of the Roman province of Raetia in the second and third centuries. Unlike the Upper German Limes to the north west, which was mostly a palisade and ditch, the Raetian section was eventually built as a continuous stone wall, more than a hundred and sixty kilometres long. Local people later called it the Teufelsmauer, the Devil's Wall, believing it could only have been built by supernatural forces. The section between watchtowers here is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.
The frontier crossed the valley of the Wörnitz near here, and the river, slow and winding through meadows and woods, is a pleasant companion for a ride. Upstream lies Dinkelsbühl, about eight kilometres away, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Germany, with a complete ring of walls, towers and gates, and streets of half-timbered and gabled houses. It sits on the Romantic Road, the famous tourist route through Bavaria from Würzburg to Füssen, and every summer it celebrates the Kinderzeche, a festival commemorating a legend from the Thirty Years' War, in which the town's children are said to have saved it from destruction.
The riding in this part of Franconia is gentle and pleasant, with quiet roads through rolling hills, fields, forests and villages. The roads are well surfaced and well signposted, with little traffic outside the main routes. The Romantic Road itself can be busy with tourist coaches in summer, but the minor roads that run parallel to it are much quieter. To the north, Rothenburg ob der Tauber is another medieval gem, and to the south east, the Nördlinger Ries, a huge crater formed by a meteorite impact millions of years ago, has the walled town of Nördlingen at its centre.
Wilburgstetten, Mönchsroth and Weiltingen are small villages with basic services, while Dinkelsbühl has fuel, shops and plenty of restaurants and beer gardens. The local food is hearty Franconian fare, with roast pork, dumplings and sausages, and the local beers are excellent. The weather is continental, with warm summers and cold winters.