The Eden Project

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ve probably picked up that I’m a bit of a fan of the outdoors and trees and flowers and just the general beauty of nature.

The Eden Project has been on my ‘England bucket list’ for quite some time now, so I was thrilled when it was decided a day trip would be taken to the site as part of a recent long weekend in Cornwall…

Essentially, Eden is a botanical garden developed in the site of a former clay pit mine. It features two massive biomes – each containing its own climate and eco-systems.

We started in the Mediterranean Biome. Walking in is like entering some sort of Greek village, with whitewashed walls, gazebos, terracotta pots full of flowers and a large market garden.

My family, Adam and I were especially excited at seeing a new garden in the biome, based on plants growing in Western Australia. There were dozens of grass trees and kangaroo paws, and it was lovely to see a bit of ‘Down Under’ in the middle of Cornwall.

There’s even a full sized restaurant in the Mediterranean Biome and Adam and I shared a very tasty antipasti platter there for lunch.  I didn’t get to the Continent over the summer, so this was a fun way to pretend (even for a short time) that I was sitting in a little cafe somewhere exotic!

We then moved into the Rainforest Biome and boy, do you feel the difference. It’s hot and steamy. Mum and dad felt like they were back in Queensland, but myself and the rest of our English party certainly got sweaty quickly!

There is an air-conditioned ‘cool room’ in the biome and it did offer a few minutes of relief during our wander.

I was particularly taken with some of striking foliage in the Rainforest Biome – leaves can be just as pretty as flowers don’t you think?

It’s hard to believe at times that this rainforest is growing inside, as there are a couple of bird species living here.  We saw roul roul partridges darting about, looking after their very cute, fluffy chicks.

Outside the biomes there are extensive gardens, and it was lovely wandering through them. We were lucky enough to see the last of the summer flowers, in all their striking colour.

The Eden Project isn’t cheap (an adult ticket is almost £30) but our party took advantage of a ‘two for one’ deal that Adam’s mum had spotted in a gardening magazine. It was a great day out and I would recommend a visit, if you’re in the vicinity of St Austell. The way the site’s been transformed is amazing and I’ve got a feeling this is a place that’s only going to get better with age.