Between two neighbouring watchtowers the Romans left a short piece of frontier that today looks like almost nothing, and that is part of its charm. The line between Wachtposten 4/81 and 4/82 runs through the fields of the Wetterau east of Frankfurt, close to Echzell, where the earth wall and ditch of the Limes can still be traced as a long, low swelling in the farmland, sometimes crowned by a hedge or a row of trees that have grown on it. Beneath the field, archaeologists have found postholes of the palisade, which stood about three metres high and was made of split oak trunks.
The point of a stretch like this is the surveying. The Romans laid out the Limes in the Wetterau almost dead straight, over rolling ground, sighting from tower to tower with poles and fires, and over long sections the line departs from the straight by only a few metres. The accuracy suggests that they cut it deliberately, as a clear marker, rather than following the lay of the land. It was less a barrier to armies than a customs line and a way to control movement. The frontier lasted until about the middle of the third century, when pressure from the Alemanni led the Romans to withdraw behind the Rhine and Danube.
In practical terms, the countryside is open, with big skies, and the roads here are straight and quiet, with the occasional gentle bend at a hedge or a farmstead. Wind sweeps the plain, so in cold weather a windproof layer is welcome, and in late summer the harvest dust hangs in the air. In spring, rapeseed paints whole fields in yellow, and in autumn the land turns brown and fog settles in the early hours.
Echzell, two or three kilometres away, has fuel and everyday shops, and the museum in the village displays finds from the Roman fort. The nearest larger centre is Hungen, with more services, and Friedberg and Büdingen are within a short ride, with medieval centres worth a walk. Local food is simple, with Handkäse mit Musik, a sour milk cheese with onions, and Apfelwein. Please stay on public tracks, since field edges are private, and take your rubbish with you.