"Miss Perspicacia Tick" wrote in message
...
I am planning to go away late Spring/early Summer (my birthday falls
mid-May) and I've been promising myself I'd visit Eden since it opened.
I'd
like to hear others' opinions, was it worth the entrance fee? Also, any
recommendations of budget accommodation would be good, too. I've been
looking at hostels (I'm a member of the YHA) but there don't seem to be
any
in the vicinity. Just to give you an idea, my income is £110pw (that's
DLA),
so I need to budget rather strictly (though I have thought it might be
rather fun to challenge myself and see what the minimum daily survival
amount would be).

I also want to take this opportunity to get fit as I am grossly overweight
(not entirely through the normal means - it's also caused by things you
blokes don't have to worry about - though I am dreadfully unfit). Are
there
parts of Cornwall you would recommend for scenic walks for someone who's
furthest is the 800-odd yard round trip to the cornershop for the paper? I
wanted to do the Tintagel Trail, but it looks a bit steep for me!

Once again, I apologise for posting off-topic, but it seemed
semi-appropriate to ask here. I don't know anything about gardening (only
that I'm not much good at it!) so I came here to learn (and I have -
hugely).

I just wish there were more places round here that didn't require a car (I
don't drive) - Gerrards Cross (as some of you know) doesn't appear to
feature in the govt's public transport initiative, being as there is one
bus
every 2-2½ hours - mostly at inconvenient times (and that's when it shows
at
all!)

Thanks folks,

Sarah
I've been to the Eden Project. Whether it's worth the entrance fee is a
matter of opinion, it's certainly
interesting, though a touch soulless if I was to be pushed for an opinion.
It's a grand project but I just think it has a sort of new age modernity
about it that isn't charming. There are those odd Japanese type flags
fluttering every where ( the ones that are taller than they are wide ), and
they don't have Christmas at Eden, they have 'A Time For Gifts' - how PC is
that!?

It tends to be busy as you like during the main season so don't go
on a bank holiday or weekend or during the main holiday season else you have
to queue in a zigzag holding pen, they have signs saying things like 'you
have 1 hour to wait' etc, depending on your position. Unless it's changed
the wait can exceed that I believe on busy days. I went a couple of years
back and they were still trying to get the place mature then, I suspect that
there'll be larger plants and more features there. One of the biomes has
birds and reptiles in it.

On a practical note there is a little fake choo-choo thing that'll
take you down into the quarry if you're not to good at steep slopes.

Cornwall tends to be upsy-downsy by its natu last year I did a
trail up by Port Isaac that probably had more ups and downs than actual the
actual horizontal distance involved. All I can say is get the Landranger
maps and check out the height contours, or buy a guide. I will be going to
Eden myself in May, as a friend and his partner are going. They are staying
in Newquay and taking the bus out there I believe. I don't know the name of
his hotel/accomodation I'm afraid. There is a delightful YHA hostel in
Salcombe, Devon btw if you ever end up that way, but again the approaches
are steep ( the views are worth it though ), though the public transport
situation can't be very good.

Finally, if you like gardens and what not and can get transport try
the Lost Gardens of Heligan, that's a previous project of that Smits chap
that did Eden, it's an old house and gardens that went into decline at the
end of WWI, and it has now been restored, along with walled gardens and
walks etc, and it has the drop on Eden by being a real place with history
IMO.

Andy.