Designed and held by Kimma McGregor (Kimmie Rayna), Celestial Vale is a Full private region leveraging the available Land Capacity bonus to offer a mix of private and public spaces. The latter forms the larger part of the region, while the majority of the former are clearly separated from the public spaces, allowing visitors to wander without too much risk of trespass.
Seasonal, tranquil, nature-focused haven where peace and beauty intertwine. Ground yourself with meditation and yoga in serene surroundings. Feel the rhythm of life. Come unwind. Come home.
– Celestial Vale About Land description
The Landing Point sits on a high plateau overlooking the small island of the southern aspect of the region. A large, friendly Welcome Centre occupies one part of the plateau’s top, a path to one side leading up to the uppermost part of the plateau and the Tea & Tack Café. This is a charming little place with indoor and outdoor seating, the ground around it set out as something of a garden space.
A path runs down from the café to a shoulder of the plateau where a little country chapel sits. From here, steps lead down to the lowlands as a means to continue exploring the region. However, this isn’t the only way down from the Landing Point plateau; in front of the Welcome Centre steps ending in a rock path also descend to the region’s lower public spaces.
The lowland areas might be split into three major parts. The path down from the Welcome Centre leads to a small camping area, fronted by a large pool of water fed from high waterfalls and the home to swans swimming gracefully. It’s a nice little retreat, completely with a table top game for those some inclined.
Another path curves around one side of the pool, hugging the plateau’s cliffs below the chapel. As it does so, it reveals one of the region’s little secrets – a tunnel cutting through the rock to reach the lowlands on the west side of the region – of which more anon.
Follow the path without passing through the tunnel and you’ll reach the steps coming down from the chapel. Here the land becomes something of a meditation garden, with a grotto, a garden pavilion and a summer house now converted into something of a contemplative shrine or temple to Buddha.
Rich with flowers in bloom, the space flows neatly into an outdoor music events area partially screened by trees threaded with strings of lights. This area can be reached by walking along one of the bursts of path among the grass and flowers and under the trees, or by passing along the length an old covered bridge set upon the grass and which actually forms the formal entrance to the events space.
Sitting close to one side of the summer house / shrine / temple is another archway cut through the rock separating these central areas of the region from its west side. Passing through this arch brings visitors to a broad flat meadow, on which has been built a barn with accommodation on the ground for the horses roaming within its surrounding fences, and for humans on the upper floor.
A road wraps itself around most of the meadow and barn, connecting with a footbridge at its southern end. It is here that a degree of caution is required; cross the bridge brings visitors to another portion of the region dominated by a large, flat-topped hill on which sits a private residence and gardens.
This is the only private residence directly accessible from the region’s public spaces (the others being screened by hills and curtains of rock), so it is best to skirt around the land below the hill to avoid accidental trespass, and towards another covered bridge. This bridge, also covered, leads back over the water to the tunnel cutting through the shoulder of the rocky plateau I mentioned above. A tarmac track runs a short distance from this covered bridge to link it to a smaller footbridge which in turn provides access to a little corner retreat snuggled under the cliffs of the high plateau.
Perfectly landscaped, rich in detail throughout and highly photogenic, Celestial Vale more than lives up to its About Land description; it’s a place that soothes the eye and mind and offers one or two little surprises I’ve not mentioned here (hint for one: look behind the waterfalls). Very well worth taking time out to visit and appreciate; joining the local Group will provide information on events, etc.
SLurl Details
- Celestial Vale (Nature’s Embrace, rated Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 