Here is where the Upper German-Raetian Limes, the longest stretch of Roman frontier in Europe, begins. The Romans started the line at the Rhine near Rheinbrohl and ran it up over the hills of the Westerwald, then on through the Taunus and beyond for more than five hundred kilometres to the Danube. The section with watchtowers numbered WP 1/11 to 1/20 follows the first climb away from the river through the forests above Rheinbrohl, Hammerstein and Niederbreitbach. Most of the towers survive only as low mounds of stone in the woods, but the course of the frontier ditch and rampart can often be traced on foot, and there are information boards and a few reconstructions along the way.
In Rheinbrohl, the RömerWelt museum makes an excellent introduction: it explains how the frontier worked, how soldiers lived and what the watchtowers looked like, with hands-on displays and a reconstructed tower. It is a good place to start if the forest bumps are going to mean anything.
Now the riding, because this area is a small paradise for it. The Wied valley, which cuts through the hills just behind the Limes line, has a road along the river that is a long-time favourite with bikers, winding through forest, past mills and old villages, with plenty of corners and changing gradients. The roads climbing from the Rhine at Bad Hönningen and Rheinbrohl up onto the plateau are steep and twisty, with views back over the river. Weekend traffic includes many other riders, and the area has had noise and speed complaints, so expect speed checks and ride with respect. In autumn, the forests turn gold and red, but the roads can be wet and leafy.
Bad Hönningen, about six kilometres away, is the nearest town of over five thousand people and has fuel, shops and cafés, as well as thermal baths if your body needs some care after a long day. Niederbreitbach and other villages in the Wied valley have inns serving hearty local food, and the Rhine promenades offer a pleasant place for an ice cream and a view of the passing ships.