Up on the plateau of the Hintertaunus, north of the Rhine gorge, the Roman frontier crossed a quiet landscape of fields and forest near Singhofen, and a section of it between two watchtowers survives here as a faint bank and ditch running through the woods. This is the Upper German Limes, which ran for more than five hundred kilometres from the Rhine to the Danube, marking the boundary between the Roman Empire and the free Germanic tribes from the second century until the Romans withdrew in the third. It was not a great wall like Hadrian's in Britain, but a line of watchtowers, forts and a timber palisade, later strengthened with a ditch and bank. Together with the Raetian Limes, it was listed by UNESCO in 2005.
The town of Nassau, about six kilometres away in the valley of the Lahn, gave its name to one of the great dynasties of Europe. The House of Nassau, which took its name from the castle above the town, produced counts, princes and eventually the royal families of the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Nassau was also the home of the Prussian reformer Baron vom Stein, who was born in the family house that still stands in the town.
The riding around Singhofen and Nassau is excellent. The Taunus plateau is crossed by quiet roads through fields and forests, with long views over the hills, and the roads that drop into the Lahn valley are steep and winding, with tight bends and fine views over the river. The Lahn itself winds between wooded slopes, past castles, old towns and spa resorts such as Bad Ems, where the elegant spa buildings recall the days when emperors and kings came to take the waters. Further south, the Rhine gorge, with its castles, vineyards and the Loreley rock, is one of the most famous landscapes in Germany.
Singhofen and the surrounding villages are small, with limited services, so it is best to fill up in Nassau or Bad Ems. The local food is hearty, with Rhineland specialities such as Reibekuchen, crisp potato pancakes, and plenty of sausage, and the wines of the Rhine and the Lahn valleys are excellent. The weather on the plateau is cooler and windier than in the valleys, and fog can linger in the mornings in autumn.