As part of our trip to Cornwall before the children went back to school, we planned a day to visit Eden Project, in Bodelva, Cornwall. I had had it on my bucket list for a while, though wasn’t really too sure what to expect. So we booked some tickets in advance (which I would recommend to save money), and then off we went!
To start off with, the Eden Project, hailed as an 8th wonder of the world, is huge! The whole drive to get to it is quite long, with plenty of parking and grounds to explore. There are places to camp, as well as YHA hostels and pods to sleep in. You will definitely get your step count in on a trip to the Eden Project!
On our arrival, we found out that as the Eden Project is a charity, you can gift the money for the tickets to the charity, meaning that you can then have year long passes to the project. We did that, who knows if we’ll make it back within a year, but if you lived more closely, or are local in Cornwall or Devon, then I would definitely consider doing that so that you can keep going back many times within a year, all for one price. The price is £26 per adult, and £13.50 per child (aged 5 and over), if booked in advance. I think that it isn’t exactly cheap, but for a year, it is a pretty good deal. You can also spend the whole day there, so value for money, even for a day, is pretty high.
The main thing that you are likely to have seen relating to the Eden Project is the large ‘biomes’ that look a little like honeycomb or golf balls. In real life, they are really high close up, with plenty to see and explore. You definitely don’t need to wrap up warm, as the biomes are like a tropical rainforest! It felt like being back in south-east Asia, with the heat and the humidity (and this was in January). So I imagine it is even warmer if you visit in summer.
They are working biomes, with plenty of things going on and growing, so that was fun to see. The rainforest biome was may favourite, where they recreate areas of a rainforest, with a foggy canopy, waterfalls, and so on. there is also a lookout walkway to see it all, and it definitely put me in the mood to want to travel off to the rainforest – it all looks amazing. But really, the idea behind it all is what is most interesting. They wanted to man-make a rainforest, which is something that could be what we need, with the way things are going and the rate that rainforests are being destroyed.
There was plenty for the children to see and do, with hands-on attractions as you go round, as well as stations to learn about sustainable palm oil and so on, as it is all things that are related to the rainforest. The children have still been talking about it now, so it has definitely stuck with them.
I really liked that the whole environment and ethos at the project is about sustainability and natural things. They are a single-use plastic-free site, and they offer a great range of natural foods and produce, including a lot of vegan food, showing what they are all about. I really liked this aspect, and the items they sell in shops were all natural with a nod to sustainability.
The grounds are huge, and there is plenty to explore. If you are after something a little more thrilling, or have older children, then there are some fun experiences to be had, like Skywire (England’s longest/fastest zip-wire), Gravity (a giant cliff swing), The-Drop (a free-fall dive), Big-Air (a free-fall jump), K2-Climbing (a huge climbing tower) and Vertigo-360 (a loop swing). You can do this separately or combine an experience with your day ticket to Eden.
If you love the outdoors, exploring, nature, natural products, and sustainability, then I think that Eden Project is a must to visit. I found the whole thing really interesting, and so did the children. They were pretty blown away at the fact that they could see a rainforest, waterfalls, and a small river, all indoors. The biomes are pretty spectacular!
For value for money, I would definitely make our ticket last for a year, so that you can really get your money’s worth.
Have you ever been to Eden Project before? It would be great to hear what you think.
