Nevglide Gaard is described by its designer and holder, Neaira Aszkenaze as “the second chapter in the Nevgilde Story”, continuing as it does the Nordic theme of Neaira’s builds, which are intended to offer something of a feel of the wilds of Norway. We visited the first chapter, Nevglide Forest, back in late 2018 (see: Nevgilde Forest in Second Life), so when Shawn Shakespeare poked me with a reminder that Nevglide Gaard was open for exploration, we were happy to hop over and resume explorations.
This second chapter sits within a new – and slightly smaller – location: a parcel of some 8176 sq metres. It sits with a north-south orientation, two sides open to the sea and the entire design once again proof that you don’t actually need an entire region to create something eye-catching and worth visiting.
The parcel offers a rugged finger of Norwegian coastline, knuckled by bare rock that cut by a single west-flowing stream that tumbles down from the northern wooded uplands to reach the sea. No landing point was enforced at the time of our visit, so I’ve arbitrarily set one for this article using the small island located at the southern end of the parcel, and separated from the rest of the setting by a shallow neck of water spanned by flat-topped rocks for easy crossing.
The island, with its little camp site, offers an excellent vantage point from which to view the rest of the land, looking northwards over the narrow curve of a beach sculpted into the landscape by time and water, past the single house that stands above it, and onwards towards those northern highlands. Reindeer graze on the upper slope of the island, while a set of wooden steps lead down to the water’s edge and the rocky crossing to the beach.
Backed by a shelf of flat rock, the beach is a mixture of sand and shingle, a partially-finished raft lying just offshore. Steps lead up to the lone house, a marvellous and cosy wood-framed abode designed by Neaira herself (as an aside, her store sits in the sky over the parcel – see her profile for a TP – although the house does not appear to be offered for sale, sadly).
The house is clearly the home for the largely self-sufficient: chickens and goats are being bred, apples are being grown, and a and pump offers the means to get fresh, clean water from deep below ground. Meanwhile, the bric-a-brac around the house and grass yard further adds to the sense that this is very much a “working” home, those occupying it enjoying their lifestyle and the freedoms it brings.
A path winds down from the north side of the little plateau on which the house sits to meet with a log bridge for those who wish to cross the fast-flowing stream and climb the rocky uplands. Wooded but with shallow and deep ledges of their own, these uplands can be scrambled up using further log climbs and offer another vantage point for looking out over the land, as well as an alternate landing point should you opt to take a landmark of your own.
Like Nevglide Forest before it, this is a place that is easy to explore and that encourages people to tarry for a while, whether they wander, or relax on the wooden deck to one side of the house or down on the beach or out on the little southern island. Rounded off with a subtle and immersive sound scape, Nevglide Gaard is a place to lift the spirit as well as offering plenty of opportunities for photography.
SLurl Details
- Nevglide Gaard (Cocteau, rated Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 