The Taunus is the green upland that keeps Frankfurt's weekend riders sane, and running right across it is the line of the Roman frontier. The stretch of watchtowers numbered 3/1 to 3/14 lies near Taunusstein, north of Wiesbaden, where the Upper Germanic Limes crossed the ridge, and it includes the remains of forts and their civilian settlements. One of the best known nearby is the fort of Zugmantel, near the hamlet of Orlen, where the outline of the fort, the palisade line and reconstructed watchtowers give a real sense of the frontier. The whole line is part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
The Limes here is often visible as a low bank and ditch in the forest, followed by a long-distance walking trail. Walking a short stretch under the beech trees, past reconstructed towers, is the best way to feel how this border worked, a narrow line of control across endless forest.
For a rider, the Taunus is a fine playground. Roads climb from the Rhine and Main valleys through forested hills, with smooth tarmac, flowing curves and some steeper, tighter sections. The routes around the Grosser Feldberg, the highest summit of the Taunus, are legendary among local motorcyclists, and on sunny weekends the car park at the top is a gathering point. Because of that popularity, expect police checks, noise controls and speed limits on some routes, and be careful of cyclists, walkers and the occasional deer. The B260, the Bäderstrasse, links the spa towns and is a pleasant route through the hills.
Taunusstein is a town of nearly thirty thousand, with all the fuel and food you could need. Bad Schwalbach, a spa town with a long history of mineral springs, and Idstein, with its beautiful half-timbered old town and castle, are both close by and worth a coffee stop.
Visit in spring or autumn, when the beech forests are fresh green or copper-coloured and the air smells of damp leaves. In summer the forest gives shade, in winter the higher roads may be icy. The reconstructed towers are small, draughty and lonely, and that is the honest lesson they teach: frontier duty in the Taunus was mostly long hours, wet wool and a view of more trees.