The Danube here performs one of its most famous tricks. Forced by hard granite, the river makes two tight hairpin turns, the Schlögener Schlinge, doubling back on itself in a loop so neat it looks drawn with a compass. From the viewpoint on the wooded slope above, a short walk from the road, you look down on the river curling around a forested spur, and it is one of the classic images of Upper Austria.
The Romans knew this place well. The Danube was the frontier of their empire, and at Schlögen, on the south bank, they built a small fort to watch the river and the crossing. Its foundations were excavated and are partly visible near the hotel and campsite on the riverbank, and the site is part of the Danube Limes World Heritage Site. A bath house belonging to the fort has also been found. In those days the north bank, now the Mühlviertel, was barbarian territory, and the soldiers here looked across the water at forests they did not control.
Riding to Schlögen is half the pleasure. The B130 follows the south bank of the Danube through the gorge, a quiet, scenic road with gentle curves along the water. The north bank, in the Mühlviertel, is reached by small ferries that cross the river at several points, and the roads up there wind over a high granite plateau of fields, forests and villages, with lovely views back down into the valley. The roads climbing up from the river are steep and twisty, great fun on a dry day. The Danube cycle path runs right through, so expect plenty of cyclists in summer.
The nearest fuel is in the larger villages on the plateaus and in towns such as Eferding or Rohrbach, so plan accordingly. Kirchberg ob der Donau and Neukirchen am Walde are small villages with basic services. The Mühlviertel is known for its hearty food, such as dumplings, roast pork and bread made from local grain. In the morning, mist often fills the gorge and slowly lifts to reveal the river, a sight worth getting up early for.