Category: Reviews

It was back to Yoyo Collas’ Homestead region of Borkum for me recently, on the grounds that I dropped in early on in 2023, so hopping over once more as the year draws to a close has something of a nice balance to it. Plus, I’d been informed that the region had received a winter make-over.

Drawing its name from the Lower Saxony island which forms the largest and westernmost of the East Frisian Islands as it sits alongside the border with the Netherlands, and caught between the North Sea and the Wadden Sea, Yoyo’s Borkum has always been a place that is both photogenic and a reminder of how good it is to spend time away from the bustle of life and simply be. This remains true with this winter 2023 iteration, which incorporates a couple of little  reminders from past builds to help generate a feeling of continuity through the changing seasons, whilst at the same time it presents an entirely new location to explore.

The first of these little reminders is the Apple Fall Old Manufactory. Still overlooking the beaches – if from a different location compared to my visit in March, it retains its feel as a place of work now converted into a place to life, with an inviting , warm interior, together with some furnishings on the deck which also serve as reminders of past builds. Behind it sits the familiar barn, this time occupied by the animals and fowl who might find the wintry weather and colder winds (the clothing pegged out on the line strung between house and barn give ample evidence that the wind is blustering its way over the landscape).

Down below the house, the broad beach is covered in snow – as is the rest of the landscape – and so hardly a place for soaking up the Sun or splashing out into the waters lapping the shore; well not if you are sane, at least. However, this hasn’t stopped the local beach chairs resolutely turning their backs on the wind and offering places for visitors to sit, the braziers burning brightly alongside each one perhaps adding their warmth to the invitation to sit for a while.

Inland, across a dip in the land from the converted warehouse sits another cabin, this one offering a view over the south-eastern side portion of the region, as it sits on a rocky bluff. Like the cabin to the north, it has a welcoming and cosy interior and a deck with further seating outside for those who enjoy the brisk air. However, someone has clearly gone to a lot of trouble to get it to its hilltop post, this particular cabin having once been an iron-hulled houseboat!

Off to the north-east lies another reminder of past builds, this one taking the form of a lighthouse standing on a blunt headland – although if memory serves, this one is of a different design to the one gracing the island back in March 2023. It shares the same coastal upland as the converted factory and its barn, a rocky line separating the north and east sides of the island from the beaches below as it crooks a finger southward from the lighthouse to end as a blank-face promontory overlooking a frozen inlet which is now being used for ice-skating, and where the locals have set-up little kiosks and trailers from which warming refreshments might be had.

Where much of the island’s interior was open was given over to rippling seas of lavender and other plants at my last visit, now they have become suitably wooded, frost-bearded firs covering the gently hills, paths and trails cutting through them as they are watched over by a tall wind turbine, its blades tuning in the wind to provide the power for the cabins and skate-side hostelries. Deer roam these woods as might the odd sledding enthusiast or two (look for the sign board!) – although some might find the presence of a trio of dire wolves among the trees a little worrying! Also foraging through the trees and the grass poking up through the snow slopes around them are white horses, their colouring a perfect camouflage in the circumstances.

Throughout all of this are boardwalks, paths and trails to roam, places to sit awaiting discovery (some with a lean towards the holiday period in their style) and a rich mixture of animals (some obviously mentioned above) and birds throughout, all of which add life and depth to the setting as well as upping the ante for photographers.

Finished with an ideal environment setting and subtle soundscape, winter’s Borkum in Second Life retains its status as a relaxing and photogenic location in which to spend time.

SLurl Details

• Borkum (Golden Place, rated Moderate)

A full region leveraging the private region Land Capacity bonus, Blue Finch Frosty Hollow is a gorgeous winter-themed design by Grant Wade (GMi7) and Dianna Wade (DiaMi7) which has a lot within it to appreciate, do and photograph. Bringing together a number of what are now “traditional” staples of Second Life winter settings alongside of some touches perhaps more common within fantasy settings, this is a region which simply works for the eye and imagination.

The first of those SL traditional elements can be found at the landing point, taking the form of the DRD Arctic Express waiting at the local station. With its dining car dressed for a festive meal, it offers a cosy retreat from the outset, with one the passenger cars laid out as a lounge  with sofa, Christmas decorations and both a brick-built fireplace with fire in the hearth and a wood burning stove!

Alongside the train, the local station presents a little café and pizza house for those seeking something to warm their insides, with a little gift wrapping shop rounding off the platform’s parade of shops. The café and pizza house might well be welcome, because the train is unlikely to be going anywhere soon (unless it is backwards), given the local reindeer appear to be engaged in a game of staring it down whilst occupying the lightly drifted snow lying across the tracks before it!

The landing point provides a summary of activities awaiting discovery within the region – a horse riding tour, ice skating, snowboarding and sledding. It also indicates that there will be a special Christmas Party within the setting at some point. The date and time were both TBA on my visit, so visitors might want to keep an eye out for that or join the local group via the sign at the LP to receive updates and notifications.

The horse tour can be found just south of the station and past the reindeer facing off against the train, where a sign board and horse sit close by the local (and again SL winter traditional) Hive Christmas Tree Farm. Sitting on the horse and clicking it will start the tour, which will proceed gently around the region along trails and paths, revealing places and locations to which visitors will doubtless wish to make a return. Lasting some 6 minutes, the ride will reveal the upland areas of the region as well, the route even allowing a for glimpse of Santa relaxing with a little skiing before the season gets really busy for him!

Skating can be found at the frozen lake occupying the southern central area of the region, with pre-choreographed single and couple skating pose balls awaiting people’s enjoyment. Those who prefer more freestyle skating and have skates in the inventories could doubtless slip them on and take to the ice as well.

Should the skating not warm the cockles of your soul, there are numerous little spots around the edge of the lake where warm food and drink can be had – roasted chestnuts, doughnuts and coffee, hot chocolate loaded with whipped cream… There are also various places where folk can just sit and watch the skaters go by; however, if the nippiness is still too much, then there is always the lakeside conservatory, where cosy armchairs await, espresso, hot chocolate and cakes are on hand – and most importantly, a roaring log fire keeps the air warm.

The uplands to the region lie mostly to the north and west and make very good use of space. On its northern side, high cliffs separate the region from its off-region surround, but in a manner which allows both region and off-region land elements to flow together to form a whole. These cliffs have a ribbon plateau running along their tops, reached via a snowy slope rising from the lowlands and presenting both an easy climb and a downhill run for sledding and snowboarding.

At the top of the slope, the plateau broadens to sit as the home of the fantasy-leaning element of the setting, providing as it does space for the Compulsion Elven House (a building I’ve oft been tempted by, but have managed – thus far – to resist purchasing!). Whilst intended more for fantasy / Middle-Earth themed settings, the house works very well here, forming a large retreat for people to enjoy, complete with a welcoming festive meal, music from a piano and places to sit.

To the south of the house is a second curtain of cliffs, reached via an elven style bridge topping a rocky arch. Dropping in a series of step-like levels as it runs close to the western edge of the region, this plateau is somewhat more rugged than its partner to the north, but offers its own points of interest, such as the tall towers clinging to the rocky bluffs as they rise from the lands below to be topped by stone-built pavilions (the excellent Trompe Loeil Amelie Pavilion I’ve frequently used myself) from where views across the entire region might be enjoyed.

Two other upland areas within the setting also await visitors. The first sits at the eastern end of the sledding / snowboarding slope, where a long finger of rock stretches forth as if to poke the lake below. At its northern end there stands a tall clock tower keeping SLT, a fenced path running south from it before switch-backing as it overlooks the lake, to descend down to the trails below.

The last highland area takes the form of a blocky mesa to the south-west, separated from the rest and reached by its own path. Water tumbles from its rocky flanks to feed an unfrozen pond which in turn feeds a fast-flowing stream as it runs down to the lake. Ruins sit on the top of this mesa, forming what appears to be an event space.

There is yet more to see within Blue Finch Frosty Hollow as the snow falls gently across it, but I’ve said enough here; this is a setting best appreciated first-hand and sans my gibbering. All I will add in closing is that do be sure to use the shared environment when you drop in to see for yourself, and have local sounds active. Otherwise – enjoy!

SLurl Details

• Blue Finch Frosty Hollow (Pottery Hollow, rated Moderate)

 Inspired by Northern East Coast or Western European landscapes, with plenty of hide aways to cuddle and relax from the crowd and the noise.

So reads the introduction to Haye Aya’s Homestead Region of The Hamptons, which I recently had the chance to hop over and see, courtesy of the Destination Guide.

For those unfamiliar with the name, “The Hamptons” tends to refer to that part of the eastern end of Long Island, centred on the towns of Southampton and East Hampton. It is regarded as one of the historical summer colonies of the north-eastern United States, and the region has a long history, although it is perhaps most known for its patronage by the wealthy and politically-connected. For example, both sides of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis‘ family resided there, her parents were married in East Hampton, and she was born at Southampton Hospital (although admittedly, this was more by accident; her parents happened to be visiting family in East Hampton from New York at the time of her birth).

However, whilst the may well be little corners of their namesake which caught Haye’s eye, it is important to note that, as per the About Land description, her actual inspiration for the region’s design is much broader; so much so that anyone living along the north-east coast of north-eastern North America or in north-western Europe is going to feel a sense of familiarity about the setting. Certainly, there are no rolling beaches or sandy vistas, nor are there any great houses standing proud over the landscape; instead, The Hamptons offers a natural, somewhat rugged setting with the primary aim of offering people places whether they can spend time as individuals, couples or in small groups, and simply relax.

This it does by minimising the use of buildings within the region, instead focus on walks and trails leading to all the various public spots visitors might discover. Those buildings which are present here primarily form a strange little parade at the landing point, a cobbled area which appears to have become home to an assortment of bric-a-brac down the years, with a old piano, filing cabinets and desk on nodding terms with nearby balloons, an old water channel buoy, plastic chairs and – curiously – a table set for a rather enticing dinner.

A short walk to the north from here will bring visitors to a tall bridge spanning one of the watery gorges which collectively split the setting into an archipelago of high-sides islands. A boardwalk runs along a part of the cliff top by the bridge, providing access to stairs running down to the water’s edge and one of the many cuddle-points: a rowing boat pulled up into the shallows. Another such sitting spot longs out over the sea a little further away from the bridge. Meanwhile, an equally short walk to the south from the landing point will bring visitors to a thicket of hedges cast across the path, together with the yellow stripes of ban-lines marking this end of the island as off-limits to those not invited.

No such restrictions per se lie on the far side of the bridge, where the next island is topped by an old mind tunnel cuts into its heart. Two paths flank the sides of the hill, one leading to what may have once been an outbuilding related to whatever was being hewn out of the mine’s large central chamber, with a further board walk beyond it allowing visitors to reach another space in which to hang out.

The other path around the hill ends at a large trestle extending out over the gorge below, and is the reason for my qualifying this island being free from restrictions to travel. It supports a small greenhouse-come-potting shed, but this and the deck on which it sits are not intended to be reached via the path; instead the way to them is from Haye’s private house / workspace, thus they appear to be an extension to it and not a public space.

The third of the islands in the group offers a largely open, flat top bordered here and there by boardwalks running along its edges. Swings and sofas offer places to sit and pass the time, whilst the southern portion of the island features a little tiered garden and further hangouts, all of it with a lean towards an Oriental touch, something continued on the final and smallest of the islands. This takes the form of a small Japanese style house sitting within a modest, semi-wild garden. Simply furnished, it sits within its own parcel, so not sure if it is intended for a specific use – it does not appear to be restricted in terms of access.

All of which makes for an easy-going visit and opportunities to relax and / or take photos. There are one or two small edges to the place that might be smoothed out, and the use of ban lines rather than a more subtle request for privacy might upset some, but on the whole, a pleasant visit for an afternoon or evening.

SLurl Details

• The Hamptons (rated Moderate)