Visiting the Eden Project is a must-see when you are in Cornwall. The Eden Project is sometimes dubbed as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”.
The history of the Eden Project is fascinating. The project is located in a reclaimed china clay pit. The initial idea for the project dates back to 1996, with construction beginning in 1998. Once into the attraction, there is a meandering path with views of the two biomes, planted landscapes, including vegetable gardens, and sculptures. When building the biomes, rather than ship in 90,000 tonnes of soil the team wanted to create it in a way that showed environmental regeneration was possible. Each biome cell is made up of three layers of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE). While ETFE is a type of plastic (which is a petroleum product), it is recyclable, light and durable. It’s also cheaper, lighter and safer than glass. Once pieced together, the panels were sealed around their perimeter and inflated to create a large cushion.
The two biomes are the big draw of the attraction. There is the Rainforest Biome and the Mediterranean Biome. The Mediterranean Biome houses familiar warm temperate and arid plants such as olives and grape vines and various sculptures. The Rainforest Biome is used for tropical plants, such as fruiting banana plants, coffee, rubber, and giant bamboo, and is kept at a tropical temperature and moisture level. It is the largest indoor rainforest in the world. It is in this biome that there is the famous viewing platform. It is well-worth queueing for. However, if you are remotely sensitive to heights, I would advise against going up. The Rainforest Biome has temperatures that vary from 18*c-35*c, so it is important to dress for the heat and humidity.
I would advise pre-booking tickets for your visit. If you want to plan your visit head to the Eden Project website.
Have you ever visited the Eden Project?
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
Guide to the NC500
Things to do around Inverness
Camping in the Scottish Highlands
Portree, Isle of Skye
Ullapool
10 Things to do on Skye
10 Things to do on Orkney
Arthur’s Seat
Malham Cove
Arthur’s Stone
Brecon Beacons
Pin it for later:
