Near the Franconian town of Pleinfeld, the Raetian Limes, the stone wall that marked the frontier of the province of Raetia, crossed a landscape of woods, fields and small rivers, and a watchtower stood here, one of hundreds along the line. Watchtower WP 14/28 is now a low mound or reconstructed foundation, but it is part of the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes World Heritage listing. The frontier here was a stone wall, known locally as the Teufelsmauer, the devil's wall, because medieval villagers could not believe that humans had built it.
A few kilometres to the south, the town of Weißenburg was the site of a Roman fort called Biriciana, and its Roman baths, among the best preserved in Germany, and its museum, displaying a hoard of Roman treasure found by a gardener in 1979, are well worth a visit. North of Pleinfeld, the Franconian lake district, a series of artificial lakes created from the 1970s onwards, offers beaches, sailing and swimming, and the Brombachsee is the largest of them. Ellingen, nearby, has a magnificent Baroque palace, built by the Teutonic Order.
The riding here is relaxed and pleasant, through rolling farmland, forests and villages, with lakes and rivers adding variety. The roads are well surfaced and quiet, with gentle curves, and the Altmühl valley, to the south, offers more dramatic scenery, with limestone cliffs and winding roads. Traffic is light except near the lakes in summer.
Pleinfeld, a couple of kilometres off, sells petrol and provisions, and Weißenburg and Gunzenhausen offer more choice. The Franconian lake district, built from the 1970s onwards, has beaches, boat hire and cafés along its shores, and a swim in the Brombachsee is a fine way to end a hot day. Franconia is famous for its many small breweries, and a Schäufele, roast pork shoulder with crackling and dumplings, with a local beer in a village inn, is the regional classic. Ellingen's palace, Weißenburg's Roman baths and the Roman treasure in the town museum are all within half an hour.