The Eden Project opened in 2001, near St. Austell in Cornwall.  It’s founders took a disused clay mine and turned it into “a place that explores our place in nature” by building some huge ‘biomes’ containing trees and plants native to the ecosystem being represented.  There are two indoor biomes; the Rainforest Biome, and the Mediterranean Biome, outdoor gardens, learning centres and even a ‘stage’ space where pop concerts are held.  The whole site covers about 30 acres.  Tickets must be booked online in advance, and they can appear quite costly at up to £37.50 for an adult and £12 for a child, but they actually last for a year of visits!  And carers like Mr A get in for free, as do Blue Peter Badge holders!  The majority of the plants inside and out are labelled with information about them.

When we visited in March 2020 there was a special exhibition about microbes, in all their forms, which was very interesting.  The parts relating to our gut biome and the gastro-intestinal tract particularly caught my attention.

We also liked a huge sculpture of a seed.

Our favourite biome was the Rainforest, with its warmth, humidity and dense plant cover. There were even some unusual tropical birds running around!

I know that at times I can be a grumpy old sceptic, but I can tell you that I thought the Eden Project was amazing – easily the best visitor attraction I’ve been to in the UK.  All the facilities you could need are on hand, everything is clean and well looked after, and the food outlets are very good.   From the size of their car and coach parks I can imagine the place gets very busy in summertime, and that would mean you might not get the same level of enjoyment as we did on a relatively quiet day in March. 10/10

By the nature of its location, there are some steep slopes to walk down and up.  But there are wheelchairs available at the entrance if you need one.