When I first heard of the Eden Project I thought it was a great
idea - not only the regeneration of an obsolete china clay
workings, but as I fully appreciated the warm and wet climate and
the unusual plants at home here (e.g echiums - found in Scilly
and at 8,000 foot on Teide, Tenerife) I was confident this would
be an Alladin's Cave of wonderful and exotic plants here in
Cornwall. When it first opened, I was pleasantly surprised at the
reported crowds queuing to visit the project, I decided to wait
until the intital exitement had died down. Thinking that this
would be the right time to visit i.e. the plants were now better
established and the initial exitement would have quietened to
real plant/habitat fanatics I registed for the Eden Project email
newsletters in Jnauary expecting to be informed of the imminent
flowering of an exotic plant, I was advised of skating rink
parties and pop concerts....
We tried to visit the Eden project earlier today. We arrived by
car, logical, given we were in transit from Cornwall to London.
We were made to park some distance from the place and then
offered a contrived "park and ride" bus to get to the main site.
The fact that the project is in the middle of an area with no
estabished infrastructure, I couldnt see why it couldn't have
been designed so that we could just park near the site and walk.
We rejected the queue for the bus and forced our way back out of
the car park
Can somebody explain the objectives of the project?

Carol Reid

The Reids wrote in
:

The fact that the project is in the middle of an area with no
estabished infrastructure, I couldnt see why it couldn't have
been designed so that we could just park near the site and walk.

Um, it is. The car parks are quite close to the center, and you can
usually just walk straight in from the car.

If they made you park miles away, I presume that means that the nearer
carparks were already full?

I believe I have seen buses going round the carparks, but I assumed they
were for the benefit of the elderly and infirm: it is quite a hilly site
after all. Were there no footpath signs from the carpark you were in? The
path sort of winds down the middle of the carparks between sunken banks,
ISTR.

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

"The Reids" wrote in message
...
When I first heard of the Eden Project I thought it was a great
idea - not only the regeneration of an obsolete china clay
workings, but as I fully appreciated the warm and wet climate and
the unusual plants at home here (e.g echiums - found in Scilly
and at 8,000 foot on Teide, Tenerife) I was confident this would
be an Alladin's Cave of wonderful and exotic plants here in
Cornwall. When it first opened, I was pleasantly surprised at the
reported crowds queuing to visit the project, I decided to wait
until the intital exitement had died down. Thinking that this
would be the right time to visit i.e. the plants were now better
established and the initial exitement would have quietened to
real plant/habitat fanatics I registed for the Eden Project email
newsletters in Jnauary expecting to be informed of the imminent
flowering of an exotic plant, I was advised of skating rink
parties and pop concerts....
We tried to visit the Eden project earlier today. We arrived by
car, logical, given we were in transit from Cornwall to London.
We were made to park some distance from the place and then
offered a contrived "park and ride" bus to get to the main site.
The fact that the project is in the middle of an area with no
estabished infrastructure, I couldnt see why it couldn't have
been designed so that we could just park near the site and walk.
We rejected the queue for the bus and forced our way back out of
the car park
Can somebody explain the objectives of the project?

Carol Reid
The car parks are very large and have been constructed to prevent a view of
the project until you get to the entrance, the near parking is reserved for
elderly and disabled people as well as buses (a good way to go actually) so
most of the actual car parks are a walk, they have sort of buses that
shuttle back and forth. I suspect that it was almost bursting at the seams
being as it is Easter holidays.
The object of the project was to try and reconnect people with plants and
all the things they are used for.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

Following up to Victoria Clare

Um, it is. The car parks are quite close to the center, and you can
usually just walk straight in from the car.

If they made you park miles away, I presume that means that the nearer
carparks were already full?

I believe I have seen buses going round the carparks, but I assumed they
were for the benefit of the elderly and infirm: it is quite a hilly site
after all. Were there no footpath signs from the carpark you were in? The
path sort of winds down the middle of the carparks between sunken banks,

It was raining and everybody was queuing for the bus, we could
have enquired more but the whole herding feel of the place didn't
appeal and we were out of it pretty quick. I saw cycle track
signs, but being headed for London I was in the car!
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-Photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to Charlie Pridham

I suspect that it was almost bursting at the seams
being as it is Easter holidays.

probably the worst time to go, but that's when we go to Cornwall
each year.
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-Photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

"The Reids" wrote in message
...
Following up to Charlie Pridham

I suspect that it was almost bursting at the seams
being as it is Easter holidays.

probably the worst time to go, but that's when we go to Cornwall
each year.
--

I found the place a bit too commercial and lacking in something. Like I said
on a previous thread, I preferred The Lost Gardens of Heligan or suchlike,
another Tim Smits project, but with some history behind it and connection
with Cornwall. Queueing seems to be a perennial problem with The Eden
Project. A bit too new age and politically correct for me ( don't mention
Christmas
there ).

Andy.

Following up to andrewpreece

A bit too new age and politically correct for me ( don't mention
Christmas
there ).

I got that impression from my fleeting visit! Perhaps we will try
again next year now we know there *is* a footpath and don't have
to queue for the bus or buy a bike and I know now not to expect
the peace and tranquility you associate with gardens, rather more
like going to a football match.
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-Photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

On 30/3/05 4:15 pm, in article , "andrewpreece"
wrote:


"The Reids" wrote in message
...
Following up to Charlie Pridham

I suspect that it was almost bursting at the seams
being as it is Easter holidays.

probably the worst time to go, but that's when we go to Cornwall
each year.
--

I found the place a bit too commercial and lacking in something. Like I said
on a previous thread, I preferred The Lost Gardens of Heligan or suchlike,
another Tim Smits project, but with some history behind it and connection
with Cornwall. Queueing seems to be a perennial problem with The Eden
Project. A bit too new age and politically correct for me ( don't mention
Christmas
there ).

We thought the structure absolutely amazing and rather enjoyed the tropical
zone but found the Med. Zone very disappointing. Admittedly, this was two
years ago and they were re-planting some obviously very unhappy plants at
that time. We felt that we probably won't return for another two or three
years, so that there's time for it to mature and one can see real changes.
One or two of our customers have expressed disappointment with the place on
the grounds that it doesn't seem to be quite sure whether it's trying to
educate or to entertain.
Personally, I prefer Heligan, too though Ray isn't keen. But the vegetable
garden there is *wonderful*, I think and I don't grow veggies!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

On Wed, 30 Mar 2005 14:37:27 +0100, The Reids
wrote:

It was raining

I don't know if they still do it, but I visited "Eden" in the summer
before it was finished, on a pouring wet day, and they were handing
out big umbrellas to everyone in the queue. I hope the umbrellas
didn't "walk".

Re car parks.....
The fact that the car parks are full shows how popular it is.
The car parks are carefully planned to be as hidden as possible so
they don't dominate the view.
I think it's a spectacular place and wish I lived nearer so that I
could go more often.

Pam in Bristol

"The Reids" wrote in message
...
Following up to Charlie Pridham

I suspect that it was almost bursting at the seams
being as it is Easter holidays.

probably the worst time to go, but that's when we go to Cornwall
each year.
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-Photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can
email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a
spamtrap

Fair point! Try going by bus from elsewhere and pre buy your tickets that
way you cut out two potential queues and if you go after lunch its not so
crowded. I don't enjoy being herded either, but the crowds are not as bad as
the first 2 years and it will soon be bigger by a third and as they are not
increasing the capacity of the car parks I hope that will help spread people
around. I last went during foot and mouth so all the outside areas were
closed (which didn't help) But as has already been said the whole lacks the
ambiance of a garden - but then it was never supposed to be one!
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

The Reids wrote in
:

Following up to andrewpreece

A bit too new age and politically correct for me ( don't mention
Christmas
there ).

I got that impression from my fleeting visit! Perhaps we will try
again next year now we know there *is* a footpath and don't have
to queue for the bus or buy a bike and I know now not to expect
the peace and tranquility you associate with gardens, rather more
like going to a football match.


The times I've been it has actually been pretty quiet. The first time we
bought tickets in advance from tourist information in Plymouth, so as not
to have to queue, but after that we just sort of pitched up and rarely have
to wait long.

If you can go at a time that isn't peak holiday season, its much more
civilised.

Oh, and I don't know if this has changed, but there used to be a sort of
myth that you had to get there absurdly early, because of the queues. This
meant that everyone arrived en masse in the morning, but if you turned up
after 2ish, they were all starting to go home already and there were in
fact no queues after all.

Victoria

The Reids wrote or quoted:

When I first heard of the Eden Project I thought it was a great
idea - not only the regeneration of an obsolete china clay
workings, but as I fully appreciated the warm and wet climate and
the unusual plants at home here (e.g echiums - found in Scilly
and at 8,000 foot on Teide, Tenerife) [...]

Can somebody explain the objectives of the project?

You've seen the associated web sites?

http://www.eden-project.co.uk/
http://www.edenproject.com/
--
__________
|im |yler http://timtyler.org/ Remove lock to reply.