Straubing sits on a bend of the Danube in the fertile Gäuboden, the flat, loess-rich farmland that gave Lower Bavaria its reputation for heavy harvests, and the Romans liked it for the same reason. A cavalry fort stood here, on the eastern edge of what is now the town, guarding the river line, and a civilian settlement grew around it. The most remarkable find came in 1950, when workmen digging a cellar uncovered a hoard of Roman parade armour, gilded helmets and masks used by cavalrymen in displays. It is now a prize exhibit in the local museum, and it is one of the finest such finds in Europe.
For a rider the town is a comfortable base. The country round about is flat and agricultural, so the roads are straight, quiet and fast, but a short ride north takes you into the Bavarian Forest, where the hills rise, the woods thicken and the bends begin in earnest. The Danube itself has a long cycle path, so weekends bring plenty of pedal traffic on the riverside lanes. The best months are May to September, and the town's long summer evenings suit a late dinner on the main square.
Straubing is a proper city of over forty-four thousand people, so fuel, food and accommodation are no problem. The old centre has a broad, long market place with a medieval tower at its heart, and the town is known for its August festival, the Gäubodenvolksfest, which in size is second only to Munich's Oktoberfest in Bavaria. If you want quiet, avoid the festival days, when the town fills up and rooms are hard to find.
Parkstetten, to the south-east, is a smaller community with services of its own. The Ostkastell site itself is mostly buried under later buildings, so treat it as a quiet marker of an old border and spend the real time in the museum. Afterwards, ride out to the Danube bank and watch the river slide past, wide and slow and brown, as it has done since the first Roman legions arrived.