Tir na Seilidhe Guide
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Contents |
Tir na Seilidhe – A guide
Introduction
Tir na Seilidhe is a land of mountains and coast, with a settlement sheltering in an inland valley. Some of the sim is quite remote, and we shall need to leave marked trails for explore it all.
Entrances and Exits
“The Land of Snails" has two trail connections to the outside world, one to Cathedral Circular Walk. , the other to Tir Zephyrus. Both of these connections are part of the Cathedral Circular walk, and a return to Limbo can be achieved in either direction, Tir na Seilidhe being the half way point of the circuit. This guide assumes we are entering the sim from Cathedral. We start our description therefore in the South East corner of Tir na Seilidhe, having approached through the wonderful tunnel section of the path.
First Impressions
We are well above sea level as we enter the sim, although the path descends steeply. The path is green and mossy here, and riders should beware. It might be wise to dismount and lead your steed here. As we lift our eyes to the skyline we see a series of jagged peaks. Sea and sky peep round them, and the setting is a wild and elemental one. The path continues to descend rapidly, and we see signs of habitation below in the valley. Before we arrive at the village, the trail brings us to a parting of the ways. The left turn takes us towards a promise of warmth and comfort in the village. However, we are as hardy as we are inquisitive, and so we take the right fork.
Fishing Blues
We find Taj Mahal on our DragoPods , and play Fishing Blues:
Betcha goin fishin all of your time, baby's goin fishing too
Bet your life, your sweet life, catch more fish than you
Many fish bites if ya got good bait
Here's a little tip I would like to relate
Big fish bites if ya got a good bait
I’m a-goin fishin
Yes i'm goin fishin
And my baby's goin fishin too.
Yup, we’re on our way to a dock! This is a rather grand one. A semi-circle of old dressed stone, now green and mossy, but still handsome. The ubiquitous Seven Seas vendor is available, so ya got good bait. It would be a crime not to cast a line or two here, so we settle down, get out the sandwiches and the flask of tea, and spend a few happy moments in this sheltered cove.
The Village
We trudge back up the hill, maybe with a nice trout for a supper in the bag! At the junction we turn right, towards the friendly looking hamlet. A pair of colourful lanterns show the way, and we find ourselves on a village green, with a magnificent fountain at its centre. Free-range snails graze happily, there are trees and clumps of orange lilies, and a sense of calm and peace. It is regrettable that there is not an inn here to make the half way point of the Cathedral Circular Walk., but the village is idyllic.
A Hard to Find Trail
Make sure that you walk around the fountain on the right-hand, Western side The first house we pass has a flights of steps alongside it, each marked by a lantern on the wall. We need to climb one of these flights, and then walk to the back of the house. A further pair of lanterns marks the start of a mossy trail, which we follow. The path we take leads through a cleft in the hills, and emerges to a cliff top sea view, A little inlet like a wee fjord or a sea loch finds its way inland below.
Out to sea lies a rocky islet to complete the scene.
Now, I am not a person to belittle the reports of other visitors, but the reports of sea monsters in this area are incredible. However, if you believe them, by all means sit and scan the sea for a sighting. When it turns out to be a waste of time, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
The Lighthouse
Finally, if we look to our right, we see the objective of our detour. Piercing the sky with beams of light is a mighty lighthouse. The building looks as though it was heavily influenced by the engineers of Caledon and New Babbage. There are magnificent steam-punk details, and a real sense of weight and permanence. Luckily for us, a pretty good path was recently installed to reach the lighthouse, although you will still need to take care.
Now – see that precarious bridge? Well, that’s our route – just don’t look down! Once at the light house, be sure to click on things. There are a few interactive features here – so take your time. With luck you’ll find a way to avoid flying up to the top, although there are no stairs… and there are other features as well.. We are now on an island off the mainland coast, what looks like a second island lies to the West. There is however, a narrow land bridge giving foot access to the second "island", which has no buildings on it. It is in fact a peninsula atteached to Tir Zephyrus. Further out- towards the North West, lies the island sim of Tir Realta Speir – the Land of Starry Skies. We can see an exotic belvedere clinging to a cliff on the island. A future Guide will explore this offshore sim. Meanwhile, we return to the village.
Village People
Young man, there's no need to feel down. I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground. I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town There's no need to be unhappy.
Young man, there's a place you can go. I said, young man, when you're short on your dough. You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find Many ways to have a good time.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a. It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
Well, there isn’t a YMCA in the sim, but it still fun to visit the village with its snails and its flowers. Back in the village,after passing some rather fine vines, laden with grapes, we make our way South to yet another pair of lanterns. This pair mark City Limits, and we find Ray Charles on the DragoPod
Hit the Road, Jack
The road climbs between the towering peaks that are such a feature of Tir na Seilidhe. We climb steadily out of the valley that nurtures the village, looking back over our shoulders at the twinkling lanterns.
As we march on, we suddenly see buildings ahead of us, and we press on, keen to see what lies before us. We climb onward and upward, and find ourselves crossing a rare unmarked sim boundary into Tir Zephyrus.
We are still on the Cathedral Circular Walk, but as we leave Tir na Seilidhe, this Guide comes to an end.
