Category: Exploring Second Life

I was back on my jaunt around the Mainland once more, seeking cafés and coffee houses that offer neat little corners of the Second Life experience. Once again I found myself I Heterocera, but this time south of the atoll compared to my previous visit to take in Hi Cafe.

My destination this time was Storywood Sanctuary, the work of the Wild Abundance team founded and led by Aphiris Moris (Aphiris Mercury).

Welcome to Storywood Sanctuary! Here, you’re invited to wander through lush landscapes, dream under the shade of ancient trees, and savour a freshly brewed coffee. Enjoy the magic of this haven, where every corner holds a story.

– Storywood Sanctuary greeting

Located just to the north of Mock Heather Road and not far from the lake on the south side of that road, Storywood Sanctuary is one of two locations designed by the Wild Abundance team in close proximity to one another (I’ll be covering the other in an upcoming piece).

Covering a little over 6,000 square metres, the spot is – as the name suggests – literary themed, focusing on stories and books, and is LGBTQIA+ friendly.

The Landing Point sits within on a trellis-covered deck bearing the location’s name and where books and a table covered in the pages of a manuscript further hint at the setting’s theme. Just mind you don’t wake up Francine as she sleeps close by!

From here, a path winds through the setting, meandering past little motifs and details related to books or hinting at stories. These are nicely done with, for example, The World of Christopher Robin leaning against a tree stump on which a bear is asleep (possibly from enjoying too much honey?); while just off the path, a large copy of Mary Poppins has fallen open to allow three carousel horses to fly out, recalling a scene from the book (and perhaps more vividly, Disney’s take on the book). Feel free to sit on any of the horse for a photo.

In addition, on the approach to the coffee shop it is possible to see the stone figure of a little girl who might be taken as a certain Alice. Not too far from her and mottled by sunlight, is a glass coffin beneath a tree. Roses grow under its cover, but the reference to a certain story by the Brothers Grimm is clear.

Along with these motifs is much else to please the eye. There’s the friendly garden troll under the bridge, the flowering books along one bank of the stream and vying for attention with the butterflies made from printed pages. There are animals and birds to be found throughout; there’s tree trunk offering the chance to take and share stories, and more.

Obviously, there are places to sit throughout, from the library / reading room alongside the Landing Point deck all the way through to the coffee shop (and beyond), with some of quite interesting designs (three particularly in keeping with the book theme).

Not all the places to sit are on the ground or necessarily obvious (again, one of the very booked themed places might not appear to be so but for the brazier with its little fire sitting in front of it) – so taking a good look around as you follow path around the setting is recommended 🙂 .

Beyond the coffee shop is a further garden space available for wandering, a rutting track forming a loop around it while flowers of a more exotic nature grow and a forest carousel turns in time to fairground music, whilst the laughter of children (or wood nymphs?) might be heard by those with local sounds enabled.

Cosy and charming, Storywood Sanctuary is a place that does exactly what its name implies: takes you into a garden of stories and present a setting in which sanctuary from the pressures of daily life might be found.

Slurl Details

• Storywood Sanctuary (Sabra, rated Moderate)

Over the years there have been places within Second Life that have called me back to them again and again, either to write about or simply to enjoy. Currently, one of my favourite places where I find I can do both is Pususaari, the Full region held and designed by Lu and Leelou Von Perkle (Lu Carrillo and LeeLou Graves respectively).

Since it first appeared in SL as a Homestead region design, Pususaari has always been a place of beauty and romance, changing with the seasons but always remaining true to its core.

Pususaari is a peaceful island made for wanderers, photographers, dreamers, and curious hearts. Since 2025, it has been a place to explore soft meadows, quiet beaches, animals, hidden corners, old stones, cosy places, and little scenes waiting to become your next story. Come alone, with a friend, or someone special — slow down, look closer, and feel at home.

– Pususaari’s Destination Guide entry

For this iteration, Pususaari takes the form of a rugged island with a Mediterranean touch to its architecture. With beaches to the south to particularly catch the Sun and split by a sheer-walled headland, the island sits under a perfect EEP setting (so viewing the region under its Shared Environment is highly recommended).

The Landing Point sits on a wide terrace overlooking the broader of the two southern beaches. It shares the terrace with a large villa serving as a patisserie-come-office-come art gallery (upper floor). There is plenty of outdoor seating on the terrace, whilst steps to one side climb up to the island’s main plateau and the farm occupying its west side.

Steps also sit on the other side of the villa, these descending to a flat, paved shoulder of the island, home to the Tipsy Crane tavern (a very appropriate reference to other parts of the island, as will become clear) and the Pususaari store. The latter offers three very reasonably-priced collections of animals: otters (14 in the pack), cats (again, 14 to a pack) and puffins (17 to a pack).

All of the packs are offered with both Blinn-Phong and PBR materials and are copy / modify. When exploring the island it is possible to come across the cats and otters and get a real appreciation for how delightful and well-made they are.

From the terrace serving the inn and souvenir store two further sets of steps, one to the southern side of the beach, the other to the beach as it runs up the eastern side of the island toward the northern cliffs.

While there is open ground to be reached beyond the souvenir shop, the best way to reach the uplands of the region is either by following the east beach to where aged steps start to climb up the slopes of the escarpment, or take the steps from the main terrace up to the farm and the go onwards from there.

The farm points westwards and is small, but still has a field for dairy cattle and two for growing crops – corn, in this case. Beyond the fields, the land opens up into a wide paddock, home to horses and donkeys, a swing in the shade of a large oak tree offering a place to sit.

The main part of the plateau uplands is given over to a large and quite eye-catching body of water bounded by a sweeping arc of grass and wildflowers running from the farm and around the east side of the water.

This lake-sized body has been made into a summer home by red-crowned cranes (hence the reference in the inn’s name), which are happy to share the water with the local otters (and vice-versa). Humans are welcome as well, as there is a cosy little waterside open-fronted shack to one side of the water. Just behind this more steps climb up to the highest point on the island, crowned by standing stones.

The north side of the water forms a shallow arc of waterfalls dropping away to the lowlands. This lowland area is again quite spectacular and can be reached by following – you guessed  🙂 – steps leading down from the horse paddock.

The waterfalls have created a further pool of water where more cranes and their young might be found, and which is largely separated from the sea by a wide sweep of land where tough grasses and flowers grow and trees brave what must be at times be rough weather, going by the one that has fallen. There are several places to sit tucked away here, including one among local seals.

The waters from the falls find their way to the sea via a narrow channel they have forced over time, including through an out-thrust of rock which now forms a high arch under which the waters pass. As they do so, they also pass an old fortification, now deserted save for a lone piano within, as it sits facing the sea.

Further falls drop away from the highland lake, these facing due north and separated from the others. Headlands on either side of them mean the sea below is potentially a deadly mix of eddies and powerful undercurrents as the tide and waters from the falls mix.

Throughout all of this there are multiple places to sit, high and low. They encompass a large beach house on the eastern sands together with a pergola dipping its toes into the tide; another pergola sitting right at the end of the headland separating the two southern beaches; and another summer house on the smaller and more isolated of these two southern stretches of sand. Oh, and the latter can be reached by following the tunnels carved through the intervening headland (and which also connect to the northern lowlands).

As well as places to sit – singles and couples poses liberally mixed throughout – there are also wooden signs dotted around offering the chance to dance. And, of course there are the Pususaari cats. They are quietly spread throughout the island, keeping an eye on all that is going on (even if one does appear to be more interested in the ducklings swimming in the inland waters and carefully remaining outside the reach of swiping paws!).

As I’ve noted, Pususaari has become an established favourite of mine, and with each iteration, Lu and Leelou continue to produce the most remarkable locations to visit. Long may it continue!

Slurl Details

• Pususaari (Bisous Island, rated Moderate)

Deception is a Full private region designed by Ashaki Hunt (who also appears to be a fan of Cica Ghost 🙂 ) with the assistance of Angelique Haven and Dandy Warhlol (terry Fotherington) on behalf of region holder NiaMarie Simons.

Come enjoy a walk through the Redwoods of Deception. It’s all about relaxing, enjoying nature, and visiting with friends. Stop by the Inn for a game of Cheesy! All are welcome. From the Inn, you can catch the Train to the Valley of Stones and visit the castle ruins.

– Deception Destination Guide entry

This sounds nice and relaxing – almost ordinary. However, Deception is anything but ordinary; there is an eclectic randomness about it that makes it just that little bit different. Not strange or bad or anything like that; quite the reverse in fact. A clue as to why this feeling of quirkiness might make itself known perhaps lies in the region’s About Land description:

A home for those oddities who think friendship, laughter and joy are important necessities in life. Wander around and enjoy a day lost in Deception. 

– Deception About Land Description

Fairly rural in styling – there is what might be regarded as a little hamlet to the north-east of the region – the region folds into itself a potpourri of architectural styles from ancient to modern; so much so that it is nigh impossible to pin down when – or where  – Deception might be.

Turn one way, and it appears as if the setting might be in France; turn another and it might be in the wilds of the North of England or in Scotland at a time when noblemen held sway and lived in great castles. Meanwhile, a (mostly) single track railway line runs around the edge of the region, around which a little diesel car might travel.

Then there’s the fact that within Deception, Jack Sparrow metaphorically rubs shoulders with electric cabs and powered tricycles (by Cica Ghost), where it is possible to run into strange creatures in the woods and huge crows looking ever so slightly worried about  – something and a Nessie-like creature swims the waters while Neolithic standing stones bear African masks. Everything seems to be a melting pot of ideas and elements.

And yet it all works – and quite charmingly so.

Tall mountains surround the setting, adding to the feeling that this is a place cut-off from the world at large, where time flows differently, allowing all of its different facets to exist together and its quirks and oddities to manifest peacefully.

Which is not to say there is no normality to be found – all of the buildings, despite their different geographical styles, are naturally furnished; between the various points of habitation / history within the setting, the landscape unfolds as would many others. Trees give shade to open fields where horse roam, rowing boats bob gently on inland bodies of water; paths offer routes of exploration, gardens offer places of retreat, horses peacefully graze, and so on.

The region is a home role-playing on Saturdays at 13:00 SLT. I didn’t come across specifics of what form this might take during my travels across the region, outside of a book providing information on non-player characters at Greystone Manor, but given the overall eclectic mix of ideas and subjects within Deception, it could be an interesting and fun experience.

As noted above, games tables are to be found at ground level (as is a playable game of garden chess). More are to be found via a neatly hidden-without-being-hidden teleport trapdoor. Also awaiting discovery is the “invisible rope climb” – where it goes (or not) is up to you to discover 🙂 . Just look for it very close to the Landing Point.

In all, Deception is – and pardon the play on words – deceptively engaging. It offers something slightly different in tone and design without going overboard in the name of being “different” and without losing any of its photogenic nature.

Slurl Details

• Deception (rated General)

Occupying a Homestead region, Qaldera is the work of Adius Curzi (Adiabatic), and serves as both home to him and his partner, Snow (SarcasticSmile), and public space open to visitors.

Surrounded by tall peaks open the sea on one side, the description of the setting suggests the off-region surrounds are intended to be the walls of a caldera, a kind of sinkhole created when the magma chamber feeding the volcano is suddenly fully or partially evacuated, leaving it unable to support the mass of the rock above, which then slumps.

Calderas can be hundreds of metres to kilometres in diameter. If there is still active magma left, then new volcanic cones and craters might form in further eruptions; if not, the caldera might over time fade into the landscape or be flooded to form a lake.

In this case, it’s not hard to imagine the setting many have once been a shallow shield volcano on a coast somewhere. Then, in the ages following the formation of the caldera, the seaward wall eventually collapsed under erosion, allowing the sea in to leave the central mound of the slumped land remaining as a small island, now turned into a haven of retreat.

The enforced Landing Point sits to the north-east of the island, down on the foreshore. It is located on the courtyard of a large warehouse which, surprisingly given this is a residential island, appears to still be in operation. The slips alongside the warehouse appear to be built for smaller vessels, adding a further little twist as to how the containers within the warehouse might be shifted.

South of the Landing Point is the curve of a tan beach, suggesting that at least some of the rock making up the island contains quartz, feldspar and iron oxide, which the wash of the sea has worked down the years  to break down into the sand.

Behind the Landing Point sits a pond, both home to Peking ducks and their offspring and a place for casual bathing going by the raft and various floating toys. Between the beach and this pond, a wheel-worn track winds its way up the east side of the island, forming a route to the main house. As it starts its way up the hill, the track branches, allowing an arm to reach down the north side of the island to touch large barn (which can also be seen from the Landing Point).

It is here that a degree of warning should be given. Qaldera sits within an Adult rated region, and Adult activities – including BDSM – are permitted. Most of this activity and equipment is focused on the barn, where the majority of the equipment resides; so if you’re not keen on such things, then you might want to avoid the barn. While other such items of are scattered around the island, they are subtle in nature and blend into their surroundings far more that stand out, so they don’t interfere too much with explorations.

The remaining building on the island is one with another industrial look about it. It sits on a rocky promontory overlooking the beach and whatever its original purpose, now fulfils the role of a coffee bar. It can be reached via wooden steps leading up to from the sands, or via a further branch of the track leading up to the main house.

The house and its grounds sit on the upper reaches of the island, the house with its back to a stream possibly fed by the waters which create a set of high falls also behind the house. Beyond the stream, the land falls precipitously down to the waters below.

The house itself is expansive and stylishly furnished (I didn’t actually go in as it is a residence, even if open to the public and instead peeked through the windows), with the land on the south side given over to growing grapes and outdoor party space. A bridge across the stream at the back of the house leads to a way down the cliffs to where a little secret might be found (which can also be reached via a tunnel in the stonework below the front of the house).

For those wishing to see the island from the water, keep an eye out for the little motorboat rezzing dock.

Throughout all of this, the island is perfectly landscaped and inviting. Places to sit and relax (or engage in a little adult-orient fun) can be found throughout, and the local Shared Environment gives a sense that the island is just waking up with the early morning Sun.

Static NPC have been used in places – such as at the Landing Point and on the beach. For the most part, these are not too intrusive and give a sense of occupation to the setting. However, for those not so keen on them and who use a suitable viewer, remember that Derender is your friend if taking photos!

Visitors to the region are asked to do so in human form. Rezzing is open with a 5-minute Auto Return, so I assume limited rezzing of props for photography is permitted (just don’t quote me on this! 🙂 ). In all, an engaging and photogenic visit.

Slurl Details

• Qaldera (Smartie, rated Adult)

 

It was sort-of back on the road in Mainland for me after catching a Tweet from Hico Spicy concerning her Hi-Café, tucked away on the northern arc of Heterocera’s Route 3. This is an utterly charming little corner of SL, lovingly packed into less that 1,500 sq metres to present a restful environment rich in colour and with a sense of fun, ideal for relaxing within and take photos.

With the rainy season at hi-cafe over, the season has shifted from hydrangeas to sunflowers! I hope you can enjoy the full-on summer atmosphere

– From Hico’s Tweet

Set a little back from the main road, the café / bakery offers its own bus stop, with two entrances to its garden space, the smaller passing by way of a newspaper and magazine stand to the one side of the building, and a larger one complete with a greeting to the regions the café is both with and faces, whilst leading to the other side.

Being effectively double-front in design, the building – which is of Hico’s own design and available in her Marketplace store – naturally lends itself to something of a mirrored setting, with brick-edged paths bordering it to either side which are in turn bordering by long, rectangular ponds.

The footpaths contrast nicely with the paving of the courtyard within which the café sits, whilst the trees lined up between each path and pond provide welcome shade.

The setting is surrounded by brick walls, giving it a nice sense of calm and separation from its surrounding without feeling overly enclosed. Even the tall viaduct-like bridge marking the back of the setting fits well with the scene, both blending with the trees and providing an arched space before which an aged tree grows, bench seating and a busker’s music stand under its spreading branches.

Given the paved nature of the courtyard, the majority of the trees have been trained up through tree grates which are also home to many of the sunflowers that give bright bursts of colour to the place, and which can be found in brick-built planters and the brick-retained front garden space.

Further depth is given to the setting through the use of signs and advertising boards, splashes of graffiti on the surrounding walls and the richness of the décor in and around the café. I couldn’t help but smile at a lot of the signage, such as the chalkboard noting that Our coffee is an experience that chalk is unable to convey.

Cats appear to be the overlords here as well; they keep an eye on things from various vantage points, and one appears to be prepared to help out in cleaning up dropped ice cream cones – although admittedly, the cherry which presumably once topped the ice cream is the centre of his attention.

A cosy, memorable place to visit – limited rezzing for photographic is available via joining the local group, but please do clean-up when done!

Slurl Details

• Hi-Café (Sprawler, rated Moderate)

The Last – and until recently, the only – time I visited Loch Tredach Inn & Retreat was in late 2024, when the region was in the depths of winter. Unsurprisingly, with the changing of the seasons comes a brighter, warmer feel to the setting and what – if memory serves correctly – are a number of small changes  to the design. All of which gives plenty of reason for a return visit.

Welcome to the enchanting Loch Tredach Inn and Retreat – a place where romance and magic come together to create unforgettable memories.

Loch Tredach Inn and Retreat About Land description

The setting is a Full private region leveraging the Land Capacity bonus, and the majority of the landscaping and décor is by region holder Isabelle Larkspur.

I say largely, because the entire north-eastern extent of the region is given over to a private residence and its gardens and surrounds. These have been landscaped in keeping with the rest of the region by the property holder allowing them to merge seamlessly with it but are most definitely not open to public rambling. This property extends down a portion of the the east side of the region to butt up against the Landing Point.

Signs notify visitors that the land around the large house is private and a 30-second delay security system will also give fair warning before the hammer drops (to use an auctioneering term); but do take care when first arriving so as not to wander north from the Landing Point. Even with a long delay on actions being taken, encountering a warning from a security system so soon after arriving within a setting can be off-putting to the point of leaving anyway, which would be a shame because Loch Tredach has a lot that’s worth seeing.

Outside of this residence, the rest of the region is free to explore, and so long as you heed the signs the private residence doesn’t really interfere with ramblings and spending time relaxing along the way.

As noted, not a lot had physically changed since my December 2024 visit, but the colour Isabelle has brought forth for summer totally change the appearance of the setting from one of winter’s charm, excuses for skating and the excitement around Christmas and the New Year, to one very much of beauty, tranquillity and romance.

In my wanderings, I noted several elements I recalled from that first visit, if not their exact position in relation to one another. This made their rediscovery feel somewhat like bumping into old acquaintances. The Aviary, the ruined folly offering a bibliophile’s hideaway, the pavilions, the arching little wooden bridges – all served to pop-up in greeting as I explored.

With the arrival of summer, deer have come to enjoy the grazing of the grasslands and the shelter of the woodlands; geese patrol the shores of the inland lake, and foxes and rabbits roam and play whilst seagulls have come inland to circle overhead.

The Landing Point sits to the east of the region as noted, being located on the south-eastern headland. It presents my kind of coffee house (“Bad Day? Coffee. Good Day? Coffee. Lots of Work to Do? Coffee”). It offers indoor and outdoor seating, with more to be found in a garden shed converted into a little summer house close by (beyond which the private land commences). A large lighthouse sits out the southern bluff of the headland, with a little camp site between it and the coffee house.

Exploring the region from here is achieved by following the path down to a covered bridge passing over the narrow channel marking the exit point from the region’s large central lake – on the shore of which the Landing Point sat at the time of my original visit.

To the west the region retains its air of misty age and wintry mystery within the open-air event space occupying the north-west with its sense of age and history with the columns and ruins. The latter include the TLC Chapels Ruins, complete with wisps and phantoms of mist wrapping themselves around it. The Chapel is a personal favourite of mine I frequently use in my own builds, and here it offers a kind of “private” dance space set to one side of the main dance floor, although I cannot help but feel it really deserves some added décor; it was simply created to be decorated.

Alongside of this, but separated from it by a curtain wall of rock, is the mystical-feeling “winter’s gorge”.  Here is a place of great crystalline walls backed against the high blocks of rock. The waters here are eternally frozen and snow surrounds them at the feet of the tall crystals. It’s a place watched over by the Spirit Maiden and where exotic flowers grow and a stone stairway climbs a gentle turn into the clouds to reach a floating island of rock, a romantic retreat in itself. It would perhaps be nice to see this location have its own EEP setting (shape allowing), but in lieu of this I do suggest flipping your time of day over to Midnight whilst within it to full capture its beauty.

Elsewhere, there’s the gentle looping walk that carries visitors to the reading nook folly as it and converted shed before returning to the large red house which sits to the south of the region on the main paths coming down from the Landing Point, and which appears to be open to the public. There’s also the path up another gorge to a little snug overlooking the feet of the waterfalls which created the gorge and fee its fast-flowing stream.

And all of this barely touches on the level of detail awaiting discovery. These include multiple places to sit, some obvious, others tucked away and perhaps easily missed. Itan dancing columns are also to be found throughout the region giving people the freedom to dance almost anywhere (including up on the floating island!), and more.

Whilst the public expanse of the region has its own Shared Environment which gives it a further air of romantic mystery, it also lends itself to other EEP settings for those wishing to experiment with their photography (I’ve used one personal EEP for the photos here). All of which reaffirms Loch Tredach Inn & Retreat an ideal visit and photogenic visit.

SLurl Details

• Loch Tredach Inn & Retreat (Tredach, rated Moderate)