Julius Civilis was a Batavian noble who had served in the Roman army, and in the year 69 he turned against it. The Batavians, a Germanic people who lived on the Rhine delta, rose in revolt during the civil war that followed Nero's death, and for a year they threatened Roman power on the northern frontier. Nijmegen, then a Batavian town, was burned, and when the rebellion was crushed, the Romans built a new, massive legionary fortress on the Hunerberg, a rise on the edge of the town, to keep control. The Tenth Legion, called Gemina, was stationed there for more than thirty years, and the settlement that grew beside it became a Roman town with a grid of streets, baths and a market.
Little of it is visible now, as the fortress lies under the suburb that bears the hill's name, but a short walk reveals traces: sections of Roman town wall elsewhere in the old centre, and finds in the museum at the Valkhof, the hilltop park by the river where Charlemagne is said to have had a palace. The museum has helmets, tombstones, jewellery and pottery from the soldiers and townspeople, giving the place a human face. The frontier here is part of the World Heritage property of the Lower German Limes.
The ride from here follows the line of the Rhine frontier east to Kalkar in Germany, over the flat farmland between the rivers. It is easy, quiet riding, on back roads past orchards, asparagus fields and little brick villages, with wide views and a lot of sky. Be careful on the roads at harvest time, when mud from tractors can be slippery, and in the early morning, when mist hangs over the fields. The strong winds of the lowlands can push a bike around, so keep a firm grip on exposed stretches.
For a stop, the old centre of Nijmegen has a good range of cafes, where you can order a plate of fries with mayonnaise or a coffee with apple pie. It is a lively university city, with a pedestrian-friendly centre, so park outside and walk in. Fuel is easy to find on the ring roads, and bike shops and workshops are plentiful. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with long, soft light, while summer can be warm and wet in turn, and winter is damp and often grey.