A few kilometres west of Miehlen, the Limes crosses the Einrich, a high, open plateau of fields and meadows between the Rhine and the Lahn, and the stretch with watchtowers 2/20 to 2/22, near Singhofen and Holzhausen an der Haide, is one of the quietest parts of the whole frontier. Nearby, the fort of Holzhausen is one of the best-preserved Roman forts on the Limes, with its stone walls, gates and corner towers clearly visible in the forest, a rare sight on a frontier where most remains have vanished into the fields. The whole line is part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
The Einrich is rolling, rural country, with big skies, scattered villages and wind turbines turning on the ridges. To the west lies the Blaues Ländchen, the little blue land, a gentle hilly area around Nastätten named, so one story goes, for the blue flax flowers that once covered its fields. Further west the land drops abruptly into the gorge of the Upper Middle Rhine, a UNESCO-listed landscape of castles, vineyards and the famous Loreley rock, around which the river makes a tight bend that sailors once feared.
The riding on the plateau is relaxed and pleasant, with smooth roads, gentle curves and light traffic. The roads that drop down to the Rhine, toward St. Goarshausen or Kaub, are far more dramatic, twisting steeply through forest and vineyards to the river. The Rhine has no bridges between Koblenz and Mainz, so ferries carry traffic across, adding a little adventure to any loop. Weekends bring many motorcyclists to the Rhine valley roads, and police checks are frequent.
Singhofen and Holzhausen are small villages with basic shops. For fuel and wider choice, Nassau, about eight kilometres away, and Nastätten are the nearest towns. Local food includes the hearty dishes of the region, wild game from the forests and the Riesling of the Middle Rhine, grown on steep slate slopes above the river.
The plateau is softest in its colours in May and in late September. Visit the fort at Holzhausen in the morning, walk the walls among the trees, then ride down to the Rhine and take a ferry across the river in the afternoon sun.