Update, April 2025: Chef de Champs has closed. SLurls have therefore been removed from this article.
Flicking through my notes in the week, I came across La Clef des Champs, by Rose Siabonne, a place I’ve visited a number of times, and which I’d actually convinced myself it was somewhere I’d revisited fairly recently. I was therefore utterly surprised when my notes revealed that “fairly recently” actually meant “nigh on five years ago”!
How time flies when it comes to Second Life 🙂 . Ergo, I suggested to W that we bounce our way over and have a look to see what might have changed. So off we went.
I first visited the setting back in May 2018, when it occupied a Homestead region. However, within a month of that post the setting had relocated to a quarter parcel on a Full private region, prompting me to drop in once again. By December 2019, and after a short absence whilst Rose focused on a homestead design she called Hors du Temps (May 2019), La Clef des champs returned later that year, this time covering an entire Full region and prompting my further visit.
Now simply called Clef des Champs, the setting remains on a Full private region, with the majority of the landscaping within this iteration by BeautifulDisaster Requiem, although touches by Rose ensure all the spirit and feel of the past iterations of the setting are very much still in evidence. However, one change from my previous visit is that the setting now appears to include a number of residential rentals; these appear to be confined primarily to the east and southern sides of the region, and so don’t interfere with public explorations, whilst as long as people keep their eyes open, the risk of invading privacy is equally remote.
The landing point now sits in the south-west corner of the region, on the edge of a little hamlet which is very mindful of parts of France (and includes a boules court!). Primarily designed by Rose, this offers a little café in which to pass the time, and one or two little touches those familiar with earlier iterations of Clef des Champs might recognise (and which help with a sense of continuity between iterations).
From here, a walk northwards winds its way over grasslands and (via boardwalks) across the local wetlands before turning eastwards. These wetlands are fed by falls dropping from the region’s central highlands and offer a home to local waterfowl whilst a houseboat permanently moored close the the foot of the falls (“permanently”, given the boardwalks now appear to block its exit to open water) and several places to sit located around the edge of the waters all provide excellent vantage points from which to observe the waterfowl – or simply has a cuddle.
Having passed the wetland, the eastward path skirts the feet of the central rocky plateau, passing over a little stream to carry on around the landscape, presenting paths over to the rental properties to the south and east in the process. Screened by trees and shrubs from the rest of the setting, the latter are easily avoided by keeping to the flower-covered banks of the larger stream reaching outwards from the plateau’s falls.
A fallen tree trunk here provides a convenient bridge to cross the waters of the steam and reach the steps and trail leading up into the rugged hill. At the top. multiple places to pass the time might be found – including within the hilltop folly – and a rope bridge might lead you to a hot tub sitting on the south cliffs as they form a curtain between the inner lands of the region and the public beach.
When circumnavigating the main upland plateau, do keep your eyes peeled for the romantic cavern hidden within the rocks at its base. Do also keep an eye out for the teleport pads dotted around (not that they are hard to miss!). As well as offering shortcuts to areas on the ground level of the region, they also provide access to the Autumn and Winter sky platforms, each of which offers its own little retreat.
Between the plateau and the screen of rocky cliffs to the south, the landscape is cut through by the meandering, if fast-flowing, stream as it makes its way back towards the west to eventually exit into the waters beside the little hamlet. As it does so, it passes through a verdant land of tall trees, flowers, grasses and woodland where trails equally meander, and at least one camp site awaits discovery.
Throughout all of this, the landscaping is highly amenable to photography and lends itself nicely to a range of EEP settings – I’ve used my own for the pictures here – and the soundscape adds depth to the setting. There are also multiple places to sit and pass the time; some of which are mentioned above, but more of which await discovery.
There was some redecorating (seasonal changes) going on during the second half of my re-visit, so its is possible some details may change between this article going out and you reading it – but if so – then that’s another reason for visiting, no? 🙂 .
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