We travelled to St Austell in Cornwall by train to visit the Eden Project. From the railway station there was a bus, which took us to the site and we sat on the top deck to enjoy the wonderful scenery. The attraction has been built on a former clay pit and is dominated by two enormous domes called biomes containing thousands of plant species.
It was extremely hot on the day we visited and there was still Covid restrictions, so visitor numbers were limited. This was good, however the drawback was that we had to wear a face mask when inside the biomes. So, when we were walking around the tropical rainforest, I had my own personal sauna covering my face! Halfway round there was a rope bridge, which was quite exciting because someone behind us was swaying the structure. For those who have more trouble walking there is an alternative easy route. At the end of the path there was growing Madagasgan vanilla orchids with a lovely aroma. The path then led out into the refreshment area where there was a snaking queue for ice cream! We just wanted to get out into the open air so we could remove our masks. A little further on we found an outside seating area with another ice cream kiosk – thankfully without a queue.
After this respite we entered the Mediterranean biome. Apart from still having to wear a mask, this was so much more pleasant. It was more like being on holiday with brightly coloured flowers, shrubs and fruit trees. Outside the biomes there were also acres of land with paths to follow and various sculptures to see. Although, we did not have children accompanying us on this occasion, I would recommend a visit to the Eden Project for fun and education.
We caught the bus back to St Austell railway station in good time for our train. However, an announcement came over the Tannoy to say that our train was cancelled due to lack of staff. The next train to Teignmouth was due in a few hours. So we decided to take the next train to Plymouth instead. This turned out well for us. We had time to spare in Plymouth, so we walked up the road to the James Street Vaults. Here we had a pizza & pint for £8.50 before going back to the station for our train to Teignmouth.
If you are staying in the Devon or Cornwall area, a visit to the Eden Project is really a must.
