The Rhine is one of the world's greatest rivers. In this book Ben Coates sets out by bicycle from the Netherlands where the it enters the North Sea, following it through Germany, France and Liechtenstein, to where its source is in the Alps. He explores the impact that the Rhine has had on European culture and history and finds out how influences have flowed along and across the river, shaping the people who live alongside it. A brilliant travelogue and a fascinating story of how a great river helped shape a continent.