This is going to be a slightly café and coffeehouse piece this time around. For one thing, it is as much about the journey as it is the destinations.
The other is that strictly speaking, one of my selected destinations is neither a café nor a coffeehouse but a wine bar – although a good cup of cappuccino (or whatever might take your fancy, caffeine-wise) appears to be available.
This is because I’m talking about The Grumpy Troll and The Two Loons within the Calas Galadhon estate. Now, to be fair, I’ve covered both in the past – in 2019 to be precise. However, I’ve never covered them together as they deserve. Nor have I really covered them in conjunction with the other aspect of this piece: horse riding.
And, to let my ego out of the biscuit tin I generally keep it locked inside (and hidden under the bed): it is also not untrue that I had a role to play in the history of both.
Having visited The Grumpy Troll – the waterside café – when it opened in 2019, I noted that a) as it what just off the Coast Trail running around and through the estate for those keen on horse riding, it should have a hitching post and horse rezzer outside; and b) given its name, I was surprised on my first visit to find it was a café rather than an inn in the manner of Tolkien’s Prancing Pony and given Calas’ tied to Tolkien.
As a result of making these observations, Ty Tenk from Calas dropped me a note to say The Grumpy Troll gained a hitching post and rezzer, and a short time after this, the Two Loons opened as a wine bar a little further along the Coast Trail.
Horse riding is a popular past-time in Second Life; so much so that there is a Group / information service dedicated to providing information on riding in SL and helping to organise riding events: Second Life Trailblazers – and I’ll have more on this in a future article.
With its fourteen regions, Calas Galadhon is a haven for horse riding, and Ty, Truck and the Calas Team have sought to make it a pleasurable experience for all by setting up riding trails complete with rezzers feature horses from both Teagle and Waterhorse for those wanting to give it a go (with the Waterhouse horse offering rides for two).
This sits on one of the large models within Dimrill Dale, and coming up from the south-east of the estate, it is perhaps one of the first stops along the coastal part of the Coast Trail. Located just across the water from the whitewashed Little Church of Calas, it looks westwards over the waters and open spaces of the Gulf of Lune, Belagaer and the Grey Havens, forming a perfect point from which to enjoy sunsets.
The Two Loons lay further to the west, lying across the intervening wetlands. Navigating your way there on foot (or hoof, in this case) takes a little care and will involve some time passing over stout wooden boardwalks.
This is a somewhat larger establishment than the Troll, comprising two buildings and an upper floor level. It also offers a good westward view together with one to the north, where the causeway points towards the wilds of Armenelos and the opportunity to head west to New Santorini.
Both also make excellent use of building by Cory Edo – in fact The Two Loons makes used of the second half of the tree house used for form the main structure of The Grumpy Troll – kitbashing at its best!
Horse riding in SL can be a lot of fun, particularly if there is somewhere with plenty of space for doing so. Calas Galadhon is one such place, and I also have a piece on following the entire Coast Trail, written back in 2017, not long after it had opened, and Bento was very much the in thing for SL.
As I’ve noted above, however, Calas isn’t alone in this regard, and I’ll be offering more on horse riding courtesy of SL Trailblazers in the near future.
But even if you don’t have a horse of your own and, many places – like Calas – offer rezzers for visitors, so you can always get started that way. And when it comes to Calas Galadhon in particular, with places like The Grumpy Troll and The Two Loons available to visit, as well as places like: Villa Eirini,then there is even more reason to mount up and head on out along the trails!
So – happy riding to all!
Slurls and Links
- The Grumpy Troll (Dimrill Dale, rated Moderate)
- A visit to the Grumpy Troll in Second Life
- The Two Loons (Gulf of Lune, rated Moderate)
- The Two Loons in Second Life
- A little (Bento) horse riding at Calas Galadhon in Second Life
