The Eden Project - an updated visit.
The Eden project, the futuristic domed structures protecting alien climates, would not be out of place in any dreamers imagination of what space travellers might live in on the Moon or Mars. Housed in what was once a Cornish China Clay mine, the ambitious Eden creators have built the largest conservatory in the world and captioned a new word - biome - a bio-dome. On my original visit, some five years ago, the site had two biomes, the largest containing over 1,000 tropical plants. At 240m long, 110m wide and 50m high, the Humid Tropics Biome is the showpiece of the project. But, before more talk of the main attraction, I will go back to the beginning....

The Eden Project can be found at Bodelva.... in the South of Cornwall, the South West peninsula of England. Approaching by road, via Plymouth - take the A38 West to Dobwalls, then the A310. A few miles before St Austell look for the signs to Eden Project. From the A30 take the A391 a few miles west of Bodmin and head for St. Austel. Again, look for the signs to Eden. Access is easy and well within a day out from any town or resort in Devon or Cornwall and is a triumph of organisation. Cars and coaches are catered for around the perimiter of the China Clay Pit and transport laid on from the car parks in a steady flow from all points to the Visitor Centre where tickets are bought. The pit is huge but descending is an adventure offering rides in long tractor driven trains or by foot down the zig-zagged paths to the entrance of the biomes below.

The Outdoor Biome:
Constantly changing with the seasons, the sides and bottom of the pit is a patchwork of plants and decorated with art projects only fully appreciated when on foot.
At the entrance to the bio's the visitor has a choice of entering the Tropical or the Temperate zones.

The Warm Temperate Biome:
The smaller of the two domes replicates the conditions found in the temperate regions of our world, typical of the Mediteraenean basin, California and parts of South Africa. Full of scents from the flowering bushes and with open spaces often used to entertain with pieces of theater centred on conservation, the Temperate zone is less flamboyant than its counterpart, the Tropical area, but still a delight. Time is well spent in this section on closer looks at the hundreds of plants that we use to produce our oils and other products that we so often take for granted.

The The Humid Tropics Biome:
The first thing one experiences is the heat, particularly after a cold winters day outside. Be prepared to shed the coat and wooly jumper as you climb the snaking trail through the banana plants and palms of the tropics. Waterfalls and watersprays abound, creating the high humidity required to keep the plants growing and producing. Life in places like Malaysia, West Africa and South America is portrayed with descriptions of the use man makes of his environment. Higher means hotter in this bio-dome, so take it slow and easy. Resist the temptation to move quickly and study the well presented descriptions along the way to get a full appreciation of what The Eden Project is about.

Since my last visit the gardens of the outdoors biome have matured and are full of interest. Another fantastic building has been added too.

The Core is Eden's Education Centre:
claimed to be one of the most sustainable buildings in the world. Inside, there are three floors connected by stair and lift.
* The ground floor, which children can reach from outside through a tiny door and down a slide, is given over to spectacular exhibitions based around the power and importance of the world of plants.
* The second floor branches out into spaces for exhibitions, films, talks and children's workshops.
* On the third floor you’ll find a Café with a terrace view of the biomes and glimpses of the undersides of the roof.
Seed is the centrepiece of the Core. It started life as a 167-tonne boulder extracted in 2003 from De Lank Quarry, Cornwall. At 70-tonnes it weighs as much as ten elephants. It is made of prime silver-grey Cornish granite estimated to be 300 million years old. Carved into its surface is a pattern as intricate as the head of a sunflower. Seed, the most challenging work ever created by internationally-acclaimed artist Peter Randall-Page and one of the biggest sculptures in history made from a single piece of rock. “The sculpture within the chamber will, I hope, be an object of contemplation and meditation, a still quiet hub; both fossil and seed.”

Best times to visit - Anytime but can get busy during school and bank holidays.

Author: Brian Thomas, based in the U.K. is webmaster to BsureTravel.com - a hotel booking site who also writes travel articles and novels. See also his site Brians Writings, Novels and Greetings Cards.