The Limes crosses the Lahn at Bad Ems, and this stretch of the Rhineland-Palatinate hills is where the Roman frontier meets one of Germany's prettiest river valleys. The Lahn runs through a deep, wooded gorge here, with vineyards and steep slopes, and old spa towns along the banks. Dausenau is a small medieval town of half-timbered houses that still has its town wall, and a church tower that leans, a result of an unstable foundation. Arzbach lies on the high ground to the north, known for pottery.
The watchtower marked on the Limes here is one of a chain that kept watch on the Roman side of the frontier. The Romans built the Limes in the second century AD, and it ran through forests and hills in a line that was not always straight. Towers were placed on high points with good views, and the one at this point was part of the section on the right bank of the Lahn. Little remains of the tower itself beyond a low mound and a marker, but the Limes path gives access.
The river valley is one of the best riding areas in the region. The road along the Lahn runs from Koblenz upstream, winding with the river through villages and past castles, with steep forested slopes above. The surface is generally good, with some tight bends, and traffic can be heavy at weekends. Bad Ems, a short way away, was a fashionable spa in the nineteenth century, visited by kings and emperors, and it was here in 1870 that a telegram, the Ems Dispatch, helped to start the Franco-Prussian War.
Arzbach and Dausenau are small, so for fuel plan on Bad Ems or Nassau, where there is more choice. Local food is hearty, with dumplings and sausages and good cakes, and the Lahn wines are light and fresh. Weather in the valley can be misty in the morning and warm by afternoon. In autumn the leaves turn red and gold, and the valley fills with woodsmoke. Take an hour to walk the lanes of Dausenau and look at the leaning tower. It is a small place with a great deal of character.