The Rhine Falls are not high, but they are loud. At Neuhausen, near Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland, the young river throws itself over a rocky ledge about twenty-three metres high and a hundred and fifty wide, in a roaring curtain of white water, and it is the largest plain waterfall in Europe by volume. In summer, hundreds of cubic metres of water pass every second, and the spray drifts up on the viewing platforms, soaking anyone who gets too close. The Rhine here is still green and clear from its passage through Lake Constance.
The falls were formed at the end of the last ice age, when the river was diverted from its old course by glacial deposits and forced across a hard limestone ledge. A rock formation stands in the middle, in the middle of the river, and small boats take visitors to a platform on it, which is a wet and thrilling trip. Above the falls on the northern bank stands Laufen castle, a medieval building with a view platform, and on the other side, a path with galleries goes right to the edge of the water. In the nineteenth century, painters, poets and early tourists flocked here, and even Goethe stopped to marvel.
As a finish to a ride, it is a good one. The roads around Neuhausen are quiet and easy, with orchards, vineyards and gentle hills of the Zurich Weinland to the south and the Randen ridge to the north. The last miles run beside the Rhine, which gleams in the late sun, and then the sound of the falls reaches you before you see them. Weekends are busy with coaches, so evenings are better, when the spray catches the light and the crowds thin.
Neuhausen am Rheinfall is a town of around ten thousand, with fuel stations, supermarkets and restaurants, and Schaffhausen is just a few minutes away for a larger choice. Near the falls, cafes and a restaurant at water level serve coffee, cake and simple meals, and the smell of wet rock is surprisingly refreshing. Park the bike where signs allow, and pay attention to parking rules, which Swiss authorities enforce. If you are lucky with the sky, a rainbow often forms in the mist, and you can stand there for a while and let it all roar past.