Category: Exploring Second Life

Second Norway is a excellent place in which to have a home in Second Life, particularly if you like driving, sailing, and / or flying. It’s a place I’ve written about a few times in these pages, particularly during the period of the estate’s uncertain future back in 2020, and its rescue by Vanity Bonito and following it into her network of estates where it remains to this day, managed by one of her highly-capable teams (see: Second Norway: the future is bright).

It was also in 2020 that I made the decision to move to Second Norway myself, and it has been my primary home in SL ever since; it’s an exceptionally comfortable estate in which to live and has a great mix of public and residential places for those looking for somewhere to visit or somewhere to live. One of the locations offering a mix of both is New Deer Isle, a Full private region leveraging the available Land Capacity bonus and offered to people to visit by designer and holder, Kaiden Glocke Tray (KaidenTray). Within the region, he has brought a touch of New England’s charm to Second Norway, as the About Land description notes:

Welcome to the New Deer Isle, inspired by the state of Maine in the United States. There are limited rentals here, fishing, sailable waters and it is near a drivable road that leads to Mainland adventures! Explore, enjoy our events have a wonderful time!

– New Deer Isle About Land description

As with myself, Kaiden has been featured in Linden Lab’s Spotlight series, where is work as one of the foremost (and award-winning) Second Life landscapers is justifiably highlighted. His attention to detail within his designs – something very much evident within New Deer Isle – makes his work a must-see, and this particular region is an absolute delight to visit, whether you teleport in  directly, or opt to visit via ‘plane or boat.

Those coming by air can avail themselves of Toka airfield (which has gained a surfaced runway since my last flight in, when it was still grass, but is still better suited to smaller, lighter aircraft than airliners or the like). Those flying-in to Toka will have the opportunity to see some interesting warbirds dispersed among the stands and hangers, and will find  New Deer Isle just a short walk across the bridge at the airfield’s southern tip

If coming by boat, a trio of short piers are available on the west side of the setting. These appear to have rezzing open should your boat get returned. There are also some moorings across the water on the east side of  New Deer Isle, located at the Crowded Retreat yacht club – but at the time of my visit to New Deer Isle, Crowded Retreat (also designed by Kaiden on behalf of region holder Cr0wd), was listed as Closed – Under Construction, so I did not venture into it and thus cannot say what mooring, if any, is currently permitted there; however, it might become the subject of a return visit in due course!

It’s at the moorings on the eastern side of New Deer Isle that I’m going to start with my meandering description, as this is home to the XX Motorcycle Club, an open-to-all hangout and (I assume) the space for the events mentioned in the description. It is here that some of Kaiden’s little touches can be appreciated – the club’s bar contains all the typical detailing one might expect: pool, beer, darts, places to sit (table and booths).

However, a wander upstairs will reveal something perhaps a little more nefarious. Dominated by a pair of tables set out as if for a board meeting (except for the hand guns, baseball bat and knuckle dusters in evidence, together with a rack of semi-automatic rifles behind the chair at the head of the tables!), are racks containing a sizeable about of bundled paper money and bullion. Also to be found is a board indicating the crew is either planning a raid on “Lind’n Bank”, which appears to be in Moscow(!), or about to make a trip to Mordor and Mt. Doom(!!) . quite which it might be I’ll leave you to decide; I just love the humour evident here 😀 .

From the entrance to the motorcycle club’s hang-out it is possible to make your way eastwards to the local town (which is also home to the land landing point for those teleporting in). This offers a wealth of detail along its various roads and along its waterfront. It is here that the local Rental Office can be found by those interested in making one of the available houses in the region their home. The rental office opens out onto a marvellously detailed waterfront market which, in a mirroring of so many such markets in the physical world, also runs down one of the town’s little streets.

The market has a real sense of life about it – aided by the presence of the static NPCs found in and around it, some shopping, others sitting and watching, some taking photos and some serving the shoppers. More NPC figures are scattered around the town to add a sense of life to it, whilst down along the side street occupied in part by the produce market, can be found the Vintage Market, a place of little boutique shops (and a little gallery) very much of the kind one might find tucked away within a little town like this.

The road continues beyond the vintage market, becoming more a footpath as it accesses the more rural centre of the region, a place where horse graze in a field and one tethered to a hitching rail ready to offer those who wish a ride around the setting’s paths and roads – oh, and if horseback riding is not your thing, then there is also a bicycle rezzer back at the town, if you prefer. This area acts a buffer between the public areas of the region and the more private rentals.

The latter take the form of three large houses, each with a stretch of private beach and private moorings for boats. The road leading to them also provides access to the local farm – but please also note that while the farm’s outbuildings are mostly on public land, the farmhouse itself and the outhouses closest to are form a private residence. For those seeking a place to live closer to the town, at least one little place is available on the town’s north side, close to where a footpath swing around the coast to reach the local shop and boat yard, a little picnic spot also close to hand.

Also reached via the road leading to these houses is the local farm, the fields and barn of which appear open to the public. However, the farmhouse itself is a private residence. There’s another townhouse just downslope from it, but I’ve no idea if that is intended for rent or not. This part of the region also has a little coastal part leading around to the local bait

I admit I did have some choppiness with FPS rates while wandering, possibly because of the amount of work my viewer was trying to do while loading everything, but a quick adjustment to draw distance largely corrected this, and it certainly didn’t stop me from exploring and enjoying my time wandering. I think next time, tho, I might just try boating over form my home island!

SLurl Details

• New Deer Isle (Minka, rated Moderate)

It’s been almost four years since the last time I visited Walsh County, the Homestead region designed by Randonee Noel (see: Walsh County’s changing seasons in Second Life), so when Moon Cloud contacted me to tell me there had been an “incident” there which needed investigating, I decided to don my Dana Mulder disguise (see what I did there? 🙂 ) and head off to take a look.

Walsh County takes its name and inspiration from the North Dakota county of the same name, a place describing itself as “a land of prairies, croplands, river valleys, and rolling hills.” As one might expect from this, the actual Walsh County derives most of its income from farming – crops, together with beef, dairy cattle and swine.

Walsh County (SL) very much reflects the first of these farming influences, presenting a simple but effective setting of rolling croplands around a pair of fields (the region itself) where the crops are either being grown or harvested (at least during my previous visits!). Not much has changed in this respect when arriving in the region – except it’s now night, rather than day. The fields are there, crops growing,  the land apparently peacefully, the familiar tree and water hole sitting within the larger of the two fields as it lay bounded on two sides by unpaved roads (or tracks). But A simple look up with reveal something unusual; whilst the familiar forms of clouds are draped are draped here and there under a canopy of stars, the sense of a serene summer’s night is tilted sideways by the fact the entire sky is – cue that theme music) – casts in an eerie green tint, complete with a faint glow!

Arrive at the right time and whilst looking out across the sky, you might spot an aerial vehicle retreating into the sky (if not, never fear, it will be back soon enough to let you spot it!), having just buzzed one or other of the two fields as if if crop dusting or engaged in aerial topdressing – but who does either at night? More particularly, who does that at night whilst flying a saucer-like vehicle with a domed canopy and sans wings? No, this craft has an altogether different intent than the innocent pursuit of crop=caring. Indeed, one might say that it is patrolling the sky.

As to why it might be patrolling over the fields, well that answer might be the fact that a somewhat larger craft of a similar style is busily helping itself to a sample of the local diary produce – by which I mean it is hauling aloft by way of a tractor beam a poor cow. Nor does this appear to be a singular event; there is much evidence to suggest these craft have been around before. Tables have been set-out with food and drink on the road close by, with bunting strung between tall posts, balloons, and much sign of merry-making. The revellers (whomever they might be) also seem to have come prepared for a potentially length shindig-come-vigil: a pair of  portaloos (as we often call them in the UK) also being present.

Quite where everyone has gone is unclear. Maybe the party ended and they staggered home; or maybe something started them. Whatever the reason, the table and its detritus did fleetingly put me in mind of the scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with the folk up on the Indiana hillside awaiting the return of their strange aerial guests – although in that case, what did turn up wasn’t quite so mysterious or other-worldly as found here.

Nor is that all for the setting. Along the road from the landing point sits a Winnebago-style camper (with room to sit within) and apparently parked for the night. Whether attracted to the spot by the strange goings-on over the field, or as a result of the Cadillac Ranch-like installation of vehicles on the other side of the track, I’ll leave to you to decide.  Those who fancy more than walking around might want to ignore the Road Closed sign next to the landing point and head west to where a go-kart rezzer awaits those wishing to add their own noises (and mayhem?! 🙂 ) to the setting.

With these hints of CE3, The X Files (and doubtless other films / series you could mention), this iteration of Walsh County presents a fun setting in the same easy-to-explore vein of previous iterations of the location, with opportunities for photography and fun.

SLurl Details

• Walsh County (Campton, rated General)

I last visited [REN], the engaging parcel designed and held by Noa (Noa Cloud) in May 2023 (see here for more), so a return visit has been well overdue. At the time I last dropped in, the setting covered a little under 13,000 square metres within a Full Mainland region. Whilst still in the same location, [REN] has expanded to a touch over 19,000 square metres and has gained a further sky setting as well.

One of the things I’ve always enjoyed with Noa’s work is the blending of ideas and influences he brings to [REN], and this was much in evidence when I made my return in August 2024. This is evident from the moment one touches down at the landing point.

Overlooking the western coastline of the setting from the top of a high shoulder of rock, the landing point looks north across a shallow bay to where a castle with a Norman look and feel sits on a high promontory of rock being slowly eaten into by the sea far below, whilst immediately to the south, Torri gates mark the presence of a rope bridge spanning a narrow but deep gorge to reach a neatly laid-out garden area front a Japanese shrine, complete with a little gift shop where actual gifts can be obtained.

The gorge appears to have been cut by a mix of the tide working its way inland against the rock and waterfalls cutting their way towards the sea. Deep and narrow, it contains a little secret spot of its own – although I’m not sure entirely how to reach it directly; while a ladder descends into the gorge at one end, it didn’t appear climbable and I didn’t spot a direct TP or anything (but could’ve missed it!), so just did a double-click TP hop.

Northwards from the landing point (I leave you to wander the little woodland on the landward side of the landing point) stairways descend to the lowlands behind the by, offering a route to the castle up on its high perch and also further inland to the gardens proper. The castle can be reached in one of two ways: via the steps up to the courtyard, or for the keen-eyed, via the entrance to what might otherwise be the entrance to catacombs (the latter may require acceptance of the local teleport experience).

The castle gives an opportunity to explore its rooms, enjoy music and a dance or indulge in a game of Wanderlust (although the drinks trolley might make playing interesting! Music is very much a theme throughout the setting (no pun intended!); opportunities to dance can be found throughout, pianos are to be found throughout, together with other instruments awaiting discovery.

A second stairway provides a way up to the setting’s expansive gardens. These offer a captivating mix of locations, starting with the pavilion-like greenhouse where more the aforementioned music can be heard and dances enjoyed. Walks meander through the gardens and the trees. Following any of these will bring visitors to at least one point of interest – if not more – and the potential to find more semi-hidden teleports.

Some of the points of interest include 3D art elements, delightful waterfalls, a small lake, picnic spots and places to sit and places to sit and pass the time. Also awaiting visitors are the teleport boards (again, requiring acceptance of the local experience, if you haven’t already) waiting to carry visitors to the sky platforms within the setting.

One of these is the Gallery and its courtyard café. As I’ve also mentioned in the past, Noa is a gifted landscape photographer, and the gallery presents people with the opportunity to appreciate his work and collect his his gifts if so minded. Spread across the two floors of the gallery, the art is laid out in such a way as to offer a relaxing walk whilst enjoying it.

The second sky destination is the cinema salon and gardens. Caught under a glowing full Moon, this space offers exactly what its name suggests: a salon-style cinema showing a film recorded within the main gardens and, along side it, a formal garden space laid out around and over water features and with a fine dining area on its far side from the cinema. Also tucked away here, and possibly private given its location is an outdoor photo studio.

One of the many aspects of the setting I like is the way in which Noa has used the rocky curtain around three sides of the garden and cinema. These closely match the rocks and cliffs down on the ground level, helping to give the impression that – night-time ambience aside – the sky platform is still part of the ground-level setting.

[REN] is always a delight to visit, and this iteration is no exception. Whether you wish to capture it in photographs, want a place to enjoy a romantic time with some close, or simply enjoy time exploring all the setting has to offer.

SLurl Details

• [REN] (Strutter rated Moderate)

Winchester Harbor is a magnificent Full region design by Lilly Blackwood with the support of her SL and RL partner William Winchester, who performs the role the region’s Harbour Master. I was fortunate to come across it recently after poking the Destination Guide, and the description there immediately piqued my curiosity.

Winchester Harbour is a mysterious abandoned fishing outpost in the North Atlantic Sea, suspended in time, and cloaked in eternal Autumn. It’s home to lush forests, waterfalls, a river, grass fields, and several haunted places. Enjoy a brew at the Harbour Bar, or sit atop the lighthouse and enjoy the views! There is much to see for those who love to explore.

– Winchester Harbor’s Destination Guide entry

I say “magnificent” as Winchester Harbor is a genuine feast for the eyes and camera; the care and love with which it has been put together has to be witnessed first-hand to be fully appreciated. The landscape is marvellous, the detailing both indoors and out sublime, and the blending of elements exquisite, all neatly wrapped within a sense of mystery edged with the occult and presented in (at the time of my visit at least – I’ve honestly no idea if it changes with the seasons) the perfect autumnal feel.

While the Destination Guide description indicates the setting is “in” the North Atlantic, suggesting a group of islands (something perhaps supported by the lack of region surround), to me the Winchester Harbor evoked thoughts of a coastal location, perhaps along the New England coast of the United States – and not because of any thoughts of Winchester, New Hampshire – or across the border in New Brunswick or Nova Scotia. Of  course, it could be anywhere, either side of the Atlantic, but it was thought of New England that tickled my imagination at times when I was wandering around and taking-in all that the setting has to offer.

The bulk of the region forms an extensive land mass richly wooded throughout, with four smaller islands bracketing it from three corners (one with a further little island tucked away out-of-sight behind it, and counted separately for reasons I’ll come to in a moment). In fact, given the stream running through the main landmass from from south-west to north-east, connects to open waters at either end, effectively splitting the north-west side of the land (albeit narrowly) from the rest, some might consider this an additional island in is own right.

The landing point sits on a pier jutting out into the waters to the south of the land and within a bay overlooked by two of the smaller islands. It is on one of these islands that the first hints of mystery might be found by those camming. An old church and graveyard are perched on the island’s shoulder, aged and blackened and with a fire burning within the abandoned church. The trees here add their own brooding presence with their darkened trunks as skulls stare at visitors, a cauldron bubbles and strange child-like figures dance spookily among the tombstones.

Also overlooking the landing point from a vantage point on a rocky island is one of the region’s lighthouses. This is open to the public – although to reach it you’ll need a boat, so keep an eye open for the rezzers (not that they are hard to find 🙂 ), and is nicely decorated for the onset of autumn and the coming of Halloween – the latter just adding a touch to the mysterious / ghostly goings-on hereabouts. It is behind this island that the little hideaway island I mentioned earlier might be found, neatly out of sight from the rest of the setting – and with good reason: it is a private home, so if you do pottle across to the lighthouse by boat, please keep that in mind and don’t be tempted to go and have a pike in person.

On the landward side of the landing point the path is marked by a signpost indicating the major points of interest to visit. Chief among these is the harbour itself, located on the east side of the region and watched over by the second the the setting’s lighthouses. The piers along the waterfront offer a variety of places to sit and pass the time – although the apparent imminent arrival of a kraken might give some pause for thought before hanging around! 🙂 .

It is from one of these piers that boats can be rezzed for pootling around on the water. However, they are not the only options for locomotion outside of pure shank’s pony; the harbour bar pier offers both bicycles and Segways for rezzing / riding. A further touch of the occult can also be found here in the form of the fortune teller’s shack, whilst the apothecary adds its air to the place by being the largest building on the harbour front.

Beyond the harbour, the path following the waterfront on to reach the bridge giving  access to the two north-eastern islands (one of which is home to the lighthouse mentioned above, reached by way of the chapel-like witch’s cottage occupying the other little island in the pair. Beyond this, the path curves to to one of my favourite parts of the region – the old ruins.

Making excellent use of the Ruined Walls kits from Marcthur Gossoon (which I’ve used myself on my island home, together with his superb No Cottage Bizar build). Here, Lily has used the kit elements to create a lovely little ruined retreat that is utterly welcoming and cosy, and a sheer delight to spend time within.

And still there is more to explore – be it the little swamp with its slightly run-down cabin or Mystery Mansion atop the north-western hills with its well-appointed décor and ghostly hostess on the veranda. There’s also the local camp sites and the gazebo hidden in the woods, and the high waterfalls. Paths are clear and easy to follow, with lanterns thoughtfully placed to alert travellers at night as to where routes divide.

Rounded-out with places to dance for those of a romantic disposition, a fitting soundscape and ideal EEP setting, Winchester Harbor makes for an engaging, enjoyable visit.

SLurl Details

• Winchester Harbor (rated Moderate)

Following the lead of Susann DeCuir, I dropped into Xanadu, a quarter Full region held and designed by Xan Dark (Xan Darkheart) and presenting a (primarily, but not exclusively) Sino-Japanese fusion of ideas wrapped within an Adult-rated environment in which adult / sexual activities are allowed; as such, I’ll say up front that the setting may not appeal to everyone in terms of its function, but it is nevertheless visually engaging and photogenic – and during the time of my visit, it was quiet and friendly.

The landing point sits within a Zen garden located more-or-less in the middle of the setting and to which it might said – that in the manner of ancient Rome – all roads (or in this case, paths) lead; or at least depart, given it is the landing point. Watched over by a Zen master, the garden offers visitors a choice of routes to take.

To the north, the path crosses a zig-zagging walkway of modern design as it passes over an oval body of water served by waterfalls, to reach a coastal pavilion; south to where a stone bridge guarded by a Torii gate and a pair of Kirin crosses another body of water before the path climbs up to a temple in which Buddha listens to the prayers and chants of monks; west to pass a bamboo garden with it bed-enclosing tea house and onwards to where a Tibetan structure sits as a bathhouse come personal retreat.

Off to the east, the path skirts the waters crossed by the stone bridge to where a hollowed tree trunk provides the way up to another little house for adult pastimes, and then on to where a sauna hides amidst an enchanted wood before reaching ruins that would not look out of place in Medieval Europe.

And that’s just the start of things. There are in fact two pavilions looing out over the waters to the north and west of the region and the off-region mountains guarding the waters. Both provide a view across the turquoise waters to where a giant octopus ravages the wreck of a sailing ship. Or, if you turn to the right on crossing the zig-zag bridge, the trail will lead you to a wooden bridge as it reaches out to a boat-like island in the middle of the lake. Here, slung below the bough of a Sakura tree is a swing, with other places to sit and cuddle along the bank of the lake nearby. Whilst sitting at any of these, you might get a sense of being watched. If so, look up at the waterfalls that feed the lake here and you might find the reason 🙂  – and another place to have a little fun.

Then there is the lake between the landing point and the temple. Not only is it home to Koi carp and swans and herons and more, it is home to a floating deck reached by crossing a stone dragon bridge. And still this is only scratching the surface of all that might be found within Xanadu. There are dozen of little touches to be found, from the little playground for pandas to the more obvious table-top games – and I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of a ninja-like figure clearly up to nefarious mischief. There’s also the hidden theatre awaiting discovery and the hot tub deck, both of which add their own modern twists to  what might otherwise be a ageless setting.

Nor – outside of the Kirin – had I mentioned the fantasy touches apparent throughout. Fairies await visitors wander the paths, a goblin keeps watch, whilst a wall of giant basalt columns separate the setting from the neighbouring parcels like a rocky version of G.R.R. Martin’s Wall separating Westeros from the North. Not – I hasten to add, having recently been chastised for offering personal impressions in describing another region, that this setting in anyway contains anything to do with Martin’s mythology; it’s simply what comes to mind when exploring.

As might be gathered from all of the above, Xanadu packs a lot into a quarter region – and quite beautifully so; the flora is rich and verdant, the paths set out in such a way as to give the impression one is wandering a location far larger than its 14,368 sq metres. Thus, throughout all of it there is never a sense of being overcrowded, just of being in another land where inspiration come from many sources, those from Asia reaching beyond Japan and China, and the fantasy elements offering a nice twist.

Yes, sexual activities, D/s and BDSM do form part and parcel of the overall setting, so discretion is advised for those not into these particular activities as noted; but also as noted, I didn’t encounter anything off-putting during my visit and found a delight in the overall design and my explorations.

Kudos to Xan for such a richly diverse and detailed location, and my thanks to Susann for the pointer!

SLurl Details

• Xanadu (Angel Bay, rated Adult)

Tolla Crisp’s Frogmore expanded recently with the arrival of Goblins Knob, a Homestead region by Tolia and her frequent region design partner, Dandy Warhlol (terry Fotherington). I always enjoy trips to Tolia’s regions as the settings they present are so often inspired by physical world locations whilst taking their ideas in directions totally set aside from any real world location rather than merely reflecting it. In this, Goblin’s Knob immediately captured my interest just from the description Tolla has bestowed upon it:

Goblins Knob is inspired by 1666 Pudding Lane, London, before the great fire, with the added magic of Diagon Alley. Early dawn of quiet hush, fog descends with a gentle brush. Veiling the world in a silent shroud, nature’s whisper not too loud. The Spiderwick comes at the break of dawn, Bogarts and Goblins, and dark Pixie Yarns.

Goblin Knob’s Destination Guide description

Now, I’ll be honest, the Diagon Alley reference went right over my head – although Wilhelmina, my companion for the visit, immediately caught it. In my defence I will say that my ignorance is borne of the fact that I am probably one of the few people in the world never to have had the desire to read the Harry Potter books (despite loving fantasy in general) or watch the films. That said, the reference to  DiTerlizzi’s and Black’s series of books (and subsequent TV series and film) was all too clear; and that and the idea of mixing 17th century London with elements of steampunk very much whetted my appetite for the unusual and the eye-catching.

This is a place which should be visited using the looks environment settings (World Environment → Used Shared → Environment). It is also a region where PBR materials are much in evidence, including on the terrain (one of Alex Bader’s PBR materials sets looks to have been used – I’ve been using within my home island as well). I have no idea if texture and Blinn-Phong fallbacks are provided where the PBR has been used, but if you drop in on a non-PBR viewer and find expanses of grey or white or similar, this will likely be the reason why.  You’ll also want local sounds on whilst visiting as well.

Visits begin on the east side of the region, on a small wooden pier sitting just above the surface of the water. The fog is heavy and the night dark, but two great fingers of rock loom out of the water whilst the shadowy form of a tall building rises tower-like a short distance from the pier. The latter is illuminated by the tall form of a floodlamp tower topped by the gapping mouths of klaxon horns. This marks the first coming together of the strange mix of influences. With thick heavy cables clearly visible, the floodlamps would appear to be electrically powered, setting them a little at odds with the idea of 1600s London; another little twist comes in the form of two strange flying vehicles “moored” (inasmuch as they are serenely hovering above it) at the pier – although they do have the steampunkian element.

Further mystery is added by the long shafts of spears protruding from the water as if thrown in an attempt to ward off a sea creature of some kind. To one side of the pier, the high wall backing it gives way to a west-point channel cutting into the region, on the other, step rise up from the water’s edge to provide access to the cobbled street above ad it runs along the edge of the deep walled canal, a peculiar mix of lit buildings somewhat crammed together whilst separated by archways and cobbles alleyways.

Three primary bridges span the canal, with a slightly rickety looking boardwalk forming a fourth crossing, this above the short tunnel leading out to the waters by the landing point pier, providing access to a heap of buildings cut off from the rest of those to be found on the canal’s north side by another deep-walled channel. Steps on the far side of this boardwalk rise up to the flat rooftop where a cannon ominously points its snout up the line of the canal, rather than out to sea, as if awaiting something nasty to come down through the waters.  from further inside the town.

It is on the north side of the canal and along the cobbled street there that many of the more wizardly (or perhaps magical might be a better term) elements for the region might be found, both within shops (or a shop) and at the roadside vendors. Further to the west and across another bridge, this one spanning a channel feeding water into the main canal from a rocky waterfall, lay more hints (others being in the form of posters in doors and walls of buildings already passed, for those keen of eye) that the circus is in town. Indeed, a trip down a short alley arched with roses will bring you to where a path winds through the local woods to the rather forlorn circus itself.

Meanwhile, in the waters of the main canal just below where the circus wagons sit on the town’s street, a possible reason for the inward looking cannon might be found as it menaces a ship trying to make passage through the narrow waters. At its western end, the canal opens out into the sea once, high stone walls continuing to keep the streets high above the murky waters.  But where, on the south side, the wall marks the limit’s of the town’s extent save for piping of unknown use, to the north the town continues along what might have once have been a substantial wharf, but which is now the foundations for a ramshackle building looking almost like the grandfather of all motels and lit an eerie green.

Nor is the canal merely a source of navigation for watercraft; overhead, a procession of balloons and dirigibles appear to be following to whole-knows where. Among these, but not a part of their number, given it is firmly anchored to the ground, is a balloon from which a zipline ride might be taken at a very sedate pace.

Most – but not all – of the building here are façades, and I admit, outside of the higgley-piggledy cramming of the buildings, I’m unclear as to the reference to the London of 1666 and the Great Fire. However, none of this detracts from a setting that is very heavy in atmosphere and rich in detail, particularly when it comes to the steampunk elements. Even the otherwise incongruous elements such as flood lamps and 20th century English telephone boxes just work, and I particularly liked the tavern’s wall of framed pictures and the little jokes nested within the images.

Very different from other Frogmore venues, but engaging and photogenic, Goblins Knob is a fascinating curio of a region.

SLurl Details

• Goblin’s Knob (Dulcis, rated General)