The Eden Project May 2024

 On Tuesday 21st of May we trundled the hour and a quarter journey from St Ives, to a place we'd all been excited to see, The Eden Project. 

It is a place we went when it first opened, as my Dad knew some people on the project team, but that was back when they only had one biome, rather than two and I couldn't remember anything of our time there. 

I must say, it is a fantastic place to visit. There is two biomes, sort of like big bubbles in the rock face (or should I say clay face as it was an old clay pit originally). One biome is Rainforest and the other is Mediterranean landscape. The air is dense and warm and plants, flowers and fruits grow in every direction.  

Fabulously, I found Eden super accessible, with a little forward planning. Three weeks before our holiday I booked our tickets with Jack as my disabled companion and I reserved an electronic  wheelchair (that is free!). This meant that on the day, once our tickets were scanned I headed to a friendly staff member who explained how the chair worked, I had a test run and signed some forms and I was good to go. I didn't find anywhere that wasn't accessible in the chair. There was only the top part of the rainforest I couldn't get to due to the type of bridges they had but I was so high up in the forest by that time, I'd pretty much seen everything. I saw banana trees, avocado trees, cocoa trees, mango trees... the list is endless. 

Jack, Mum and I also had a fabulous talk in collaboration with Pukka teas on 🌿 herbs for tea and then went and saw all the wonderful plants growing. Lemongrass, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg and all spice were some of the scents we encountered as we tried chai tea and tulsi tea. 

We had all brought our reusable bottles to fill with cold water at various points and our reusable coffee cups came in handy to get 30p off per hot drink. 

I was fascinated that Eden have a water recycling unit, where 15% of all their water is rainwater, used to water plants and fill the toilet cisterns. 

Lunch in the cafe was delicious, with Mum opting for a Thai green curry including vegetables grown on site, whilst Jack and I chose sausage, potatoes and peas with a delicious onion gravy. 

In the shop I brought the best coconut and peanut butter I've ever had, and a reusable water bottle made of sugar cane. Jack opted for a lovely blue organic cotton T Shirt. 

Nearing the end of the day we went through the outdoor gardens, including a fruit patch. The views were amazing and I was fascinated to learn more varieties of plants and flowers. 

The use of the electronic chair meant I saw everything like everybody else, I definitely would not have managed more than a few minutes walk without it. As it was, due to the chair we stayed at Eden for five hours, taking in the sights, colours, textures and smells. 

With the purchase of a ticket you have entry for 1 year and even though we may not be able to make use of this as we live over 6 hours away, I think it's a great incentive for locals to visit time and time again. If you are disabled, I found Eden accommodating, kind and helpful. 

If you visit, I hope you have as much fun as we did! :) 

Write soon with more about our Cornwall adventures,

Mol