Just outside Thayngen, almost on the German border, a small wetland hides the remains of Neolithic villages that stood here more than five thousand years ago. The sites known as Weier I to III were built on the edge of a former lake or moor, now mostly filled in, and excavations revealed well-preserved timber houses, tools, pottery and food remains that give a detailed picture of early farming communities. They form part of the UNESCO listing of prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, though as with most such sites, there is little to see above ground today beyond the landscape itself.
Thayngen has an even older claim to fame. In the Kesslerloch cave nearby, excavations in the nineteenth century uncovered Ice Age artefacts from the Magdalenian period, including a famous carving on reindeer antler of a grazing reindeer, one of the finest pieces of Palaeolithic art found in Switzerland. The cave is right next to the railway line and the road, an unlikely setting for such treasures.
The canton of Schaffhausen is a pocket of Switzerland north of the Rhine, almost surrounded by Germany, and the border wanders through fields and forests in seemingly random ways. Büsingen, nearby, is a German village entirely surrounded by Swiss territory. The riding is pleasant and varied, with rolling farmland, forests and vineyards, and the volcanic hills of the Hegau rising across the border to the north, crowned by castle ruins such as Hohentwiel. Roads are generally excellent, traffic moderate, but speed limits are strictly enforced on both sides of the border.
Thayngen has a few thousand inhabitants and basic services, and Gottmadingen, just across the border, about five kilometres away, has more choice. Schaffhausen, the cantonal capital, has a beautiful old town with painted houses and the round fortress of the Munot, and the Rhine Falls, the largest waterfall in central Europe, are just a short ride away.
Local food includes the wines of the Klettgau, fish from the Rhine and hearty Swiss and Swabian dishes. Come in spring or early autumn, when the weather is mild and the light clear. Ride through the gentle hills, cross the border a few times without noticing, and stop at the Rhine Falls to feel the spray before heading on.