Rheinbrohl is where the Roman frontier of Upper Germany began. Here, on the east bank of the Rhine between Bonn and Koblenz, the Limes left the river and struck off inland, running across hills and valleys for more than five hundred kilometres to the Danube near Regensburg. The first watchtowers, numbered 1/1 onwards, stood in the hills above the town, and the stretch from 1/3 to 1/10 climbs from the Rhine valley into the forests of the Westerwald. The Römerwelt museum in Rheinbrohl, at the start of the Limes, brings Roman frontier life to life with reconstructions, hands-on exhibits and a reconstructed watchtower nearby.
The line of the frontier is visible in places as an earth bank and ditch running through the forest, with the remains of watchtowers as low mounds. The upland frontier has been on the World Heritage list since 2005, and the Lower Germanic Limes, which ran along the Rhine to the North Sea, was added more recently.
The Rhine valley here is wide and beautiful, with vineyards, orchards and forests on the slopes, small towns along the river, and castles perched on the hills. Across the river, the Brohl valley leads to the volcanic Eifel and the Laacher See, a crater lake with a Romanesque abbey on its shore. Bad Hönningen, three kilometres away, is a spa town with thermal baths, fuel and shops, and Linz am Rhein, a little further north, has a colourful old town of half-timbered houses.
The B42 follows the east bank of the Rhine, flowing and scenic, though busy at weekends and with trains running right alongside. For better riding, head up into the Westerwald or across the river into the Eifel, where the roads twist through forests and over hills, with little traffic and plenty of curves. The Nürburgring is about an hour away. Ferries cross the Rhine at several points, a pleasant break on a hot day. Watch for speed cameras in the villages. Try a glass of local wine from the Middle Rhine, Rhine fish, and Reibekuchen, potato fritters often served with apple sauce, a Rhineland favourite.