Lorch is where two Roman frontiers shook hands. The Upper Germanic Limes, a line of wooden palisade and watchtowers running down from the Rhine, met the Raetian Limes, a stone wall stretching east towards the Danube, in the hills near this small town in the Rems valley. The watchtower numbers jump here from series 9, the end of the Upper Germanic stretch, to 12, the start of the Raetian, and the whole system is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site.
Lorch has more than Roman history. Above the town, on a hill, sits Kloster Lorch, a Benedictine monastery founded in the early twelfth century by the Staufer, the dynasty that produced Frederick Barbarossa and other emperors. The Staufer had their burial place here, and the monastery now houses a huge circular painting of the family's story. The Hohenstaufen hill, from which they took their name, rises as a perfect cone a short ride to the south-east, and from the top you can see far across the Swabian Alb.
The riding is very good. The Rems valley is busy, but the roads that climb north into the Schwäbischer Wald, the Swabian Forest, are narrow and twisting, with quick changes in direction, steep descents into stream valleys and long stretches through deep forest. Surfaces are generally good, but watch for damp patches and leaves in the shade. Traffic is light on weekdays, though weekends bring many fellow riders. South of the valley, the roads towards the Hohenstaufen and the edge of the Alb offer more open views.
The Swabian Forest is a landscape of deep, narrow valleys, clear streams and dense woodland, with old watermills and small villages. In spring the forest floor is covered with wild garlic and wood anemones, and in autumn the beech leaves turn gold. The area is also known for its fruit orchards, and in late summer the trees are heavy with apples and pears.
Lorch, about a kilometre away, has fuel, shops and restaurants. Schwäbisch Gmünd, a few kilometres east, is a larger town with a fine old centre and a famous Gothic minster. Stop for Maultaschen, the Swabian pasta pockets filled with meat and spinach, or a slice of plum cake if you are passing in late summer.