Get lost in nature – the Eden project

The Eden project is a trip that has been on our bucket list for a while now — Dubbed the eighth wonder of the world — and with a trip to sunny Cornwall coming up what better chance did we have to plan a visit!

It’s was Monday morning, 29th July and the weather was a little bit overcast. Non of us fancied a day of strolling around the shops or staying in, so we jumped in the car and drove straight for the Eden Project (‘Twas very exciting!).

It didn’t take us long to get there at all from our holiday home in Newquay – much better than the four and a half hour drive it would of taken us from home – but the weather had started to become a bit drizzly along the way. We were ‘umming’ and ‘arrring’ about whether to actually spend the day there as we knew a lot of it was outside and we would be soaked in our flip flops! – (yup, we were not prepared for drizzly wet weather at all!) – but we took the plunge, parked up and hopped onto the (free) bus which took us to the main entrance.

Straight away the walk to the main entrance was so pretty, heaving with plants, flowers and information. It was a little bit pricey at the entrance, considering we didn’t really know what to expect once we were inside, but it was £75 for a family of four – I’m not too sure what the individual prices are but I’m sure you could find them on the internet. You can book online and save up to 10% which is handy to know too. We also got a free pass to return for a year in with the price we paid. Yippee!

Once we were through the gates, had collected our maps and had a look at the ‘what’s on board’ we made our way outside where we could see the two huge biomes and the amazing gardens surrounding them. They are much bigger in real life than looking at a photo. There were also people zip wiring over above them which looked awesome … not sure if I’d have the nerves to have a try though?

Down the zigzag path, trying to quickly take in all the amazing sights and smells we ran straight for the ‘Link’ which connects the two biomes. We were drenched by this point as the rain had started to pour quite heavily.

We started at the Rainforest Biome – the worlds largest greenhouse, it was a tad bit warm in there so we were happy to be in our flip flops at this point! It was literally how I imagine strolling through the rainforest would be …. but with a few less bugs, the sounds, the air, the smells, it was all just fascinating. I mean, this biome is freaking huge and it is filled from floor to ceiling with tropical plants, palm trees, birds and waterfalls. It’s an incredible place.

I thought maybe the children would be a little bit bored, wandering around look at nature, but there was lots of information around the place and items for them to search for on their maps. They really liked spotting the food which was being grown inside the biome, from pineapples and bananas to cocoa trees and baobab, oh and also reading about how why we shouldn’t use palm oil and how sourcing it is destroying the rainforest. That was very interesting!

The ‘Lookout’ point was incredible — and such an achievement for me, if I do say so myself! Basically, it is a platform which is suspended in the air, hung from the ceiling at 165 foot high. There are a set of steps leading up to the lookout point and a little bit of a que as only a certain amount of people are allowed on to the platform at any one time. I was petrified! I do not like heights at the best of times but jeeeez this was high! (My hands are sweating just thinking about this!).

Our little group head for the steps and off they went, daddy and our children too and I just froze. Literally just froze! I cried, I shook, I’m pretty sure I stopped breathing at one point. I have no idea where I plucked some courage from, maybe it was seeing my children at the top, but after a while I managed to get up there, talking to myself whilst crying like some absolute crazy lady! But I did it! ….. and it was so so worth it, sharing this amazing experience with my family – and the children were so proud of me! It was such an immense feeling. The view was incredible … although I couldn’t hold my camera for shaking I had to get daddy take a few snaps for me!

Then we had to make it back down. I hadn’t prepared myself for that. I waited until everyone was down the stairs, and I legged it! Ha ha! As fast as I could screaming and crying! Ha! I did it! So proud.

Next, was the Mediterranean Biome, it is a little bit smaller and a lot cooler than the rainforest, but equally amazing, there is a med-restaurant inside which looked like a Spanish villa, a very romantic setting for a spot of lunch. This biome takes you on a journey from South Africa to California with all of its orange and lemon trees, olive groves, cacti and so much more. There were children’s entertainment shows throughout the day which were fab and informative but in a fun way for the kids – although, I think they were glad for a rest as it was a lot of walking for those little legs!

Lunch was a little expensive for what it is, I thought anyways, back at the Link, I’d probably pack a picnic the next time we go. We ate on this occasion and had a brew with the kids, all the food looked amazing. There was so much choice with all the different snack bars and restaurants through out the place.

And we couldn’t leave without buying a few bits from the gift shop. New plants, decorative garden pots and ornaments, oh and a new eco friendly, ethically sourced, recycled travel mug! I love it!

We enjoyed our first trip so much, we spent around six hours here and we still missed out a whole section, so a week later we went back and had just as much fun the second time around as we did the first time around. The children’s interactive centre, ‘The Hive’ was ace for the kids, so much hands on equipment and experiences to have, they loved it!

I’m looking forward to returning to some of the events throughout the year, such as Halloweden, the concerts and their Christmas Fair. With the amount of fun we had on our two visits, I imagine the events would be incredible!