This stretch of the Limes sits close to Bendorf and Stromberg, on the plateau above the Rhine near Koblenz, and the watchtowers numbered here, five in all, follow the line as it climbs from the river. The frontier was a controlled boundary: a palisade or bank, a ditch, and a series of towers within sight of each other, with a patrol path behind. Traces survive as low banks in forest and field, and some positions have been marked or partly reconstructed, which makes this a good place to understand how the system worked.
Further north, near Neuwied, the large fort of Niederbieber housed a substantial garrison, and it forms part of the same frontier, with civilian settlements around it. Closer at hand, Bendorf has an unusual claim to industrial fame in the Sayner Hütte, an ironworks founded in the eighteenth century that became famous for its cast-iron buildings and decorative pieces in the nineteenth. The cast-iron hall, designed with slender arches and an elegant lattice, is an early example of an iron-framed building and still stands, a reminder that the region has been making things for a long time.
The riding is varied. Roads climb out of the Rhine valley through forest, with bends and some steeper gradients, then open onto the plateau, where fields and villages lie among low hills. Surfaces are mostly good, and traffic is light on minor roads, though the main routes near Koblenz and Bendorf are busy. The Rhine valley itself, with its castles and vineyards, is a classic ride, and the view from a height above the river is spectacular. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, and fog can fill the valley on cool mornings.
Bendorf has fuel stations, supermarkets and restaurants, and Stromberg and Weitersburg have smaller services. Try a bowl of Rhenish potato soup, or a plate of Sauerbraten with dumplings, and a glass of Riesling from the nearby slopes. If you have time, walk a short section of the Limes trail, where the banks are clearest, and notice how deliberately the engineers chose their line.