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Last year a party of over 50 MGs visited a building site at Bodelva, near St Austell. Everyone was struck dumb by the enormity of a venture that has been taken to heart by hundreds of thousands of people who visited an enterprise that has come to symbolize what ALL Millennium projects should have been about.

So much of a success has The Eden Project been that, since it fully opened to the public on 17th March 2001, visitors have been turned away through the sheer volumes wishing to visit this 'environmental theme park', or The living theatre of plants and people.

To return to Eden was just a matter of time as the project is timeless and to view the spectacle, now that it is alive with plants, was only to update the story 'so far'. A second trip was therefore planned for Sunday 12th August and the day was filled with fun and enjoyment. With images in our mind of the construction phase of the Eden Project, we couldn't imagine the transformation that just a few short months would make to what has been described as 'The Eighth Wonder of the World'.
	Damp and dismal weather greeted us at the start of our day with 11 cars, of mixed origin - but mainly MGs, meeting at the Portreath Arms, Portreath, for a leisurely drive through the leafy lanes of north Cornwall, if slightly obscured by the mist and drizzle, before turning inland to our lunchtime stop at the Bugle Inn at Bugle. Excellent support from 28 members of the Cornwall MG Owners Club ensured that the Sunday Roast Lunch was such a success for the landlord of the Bugle Inn that he was turning people away - or at least stalling until we had continued on our journey.
With full tummies, we continued on our way - just a short distance to Bodelva and the Eden Project. The decision to pre-book with the Party Organizer at Eden turned out to be a wise move. So successful is the Eden Project that the arterial roads through the clay villages become clogged and a wait to enter the perimeter gates of Eden is inevitable. We met a logjam approximately 1 kilometer from the entrance and the traffic was at a standstill for 40minutes.
	When we did enter the site we were immediately recognized by a young man in a golf-buggy and kept informed of the procedures and how we would be 'fast-tracked' into Eden, thus avoiding the many visitors who had not pre-booked. Sadly, the slow moving traffic into the site took its toll on a 1967 MGB GT in our party which overheated and caused the fuel in the carburetors to vaporize causing it to break down. However, everything was sorted when the engine had cooled and we reformed in the car park.
Eden is such a vast place with so much to see and do that, once we had entered the Visitors Centre, we dispersed in many directions. The gardens surrounding the Biomes are well laid out and the plants are rapidly taking over the vast area of wilderness that was the building site. The seating and eating areas around the giant structures provide ample space to take in the enormity of the project. Organic food and Ice Cream is available from the many outlets on the perimeter of the bowl that was a clay pit.
	On entering the Biome Link, the reception area between the two massive Biomes, the visitor is torn between the Humid or the Tropical Biomes. The Link also provides the setting for the two large dining areas. Hot and cold food is available, together with a licensed bar and Ice Cream sales. It was interesting to note the large array of fresh fruit on display. While the fruit had been imported, it is to be noted that Eden is eventually expected to become self-sufficient in the provision of fruits from the Biomes. Visitors would be advised to opt for the Temperate Biome initially to acclimatize themselves to the heat generated within the giant greenhouses. The Temperate climate is comfortable and the heat changes are evident as you pass from the Mediterranean zone into the Dessert zone. Many fruits can clearly be seen growing on the trees and plants as you move around the Biome. Lemons, Oranges, Cucumbers, Melons and Squashes can all be seen in a natural setting.
By entering the Temperate climate first, you are lulled into a false sense as you cross the Link into the Humid Biome. Through the doors into a Tropical setting, the humidity and heat hits you like a brick wall. For those wearing spectacles, it is a time to clear the condensation from the inside of the lenses. If you are a photographer, then the transition from the Temperate climate to the Humid climate is one of nervous apprehension. It is essential that you let cameras, still or video, to adjust to the humidity before attempting to record the visit for all time.
	Once again, the settings in which the plants have been positioned are wonderful. The height of the Humid Biome, in order to accommodate the waterfall and the vast tropical canopy within is a spectacle to behold. The humidity is achieved by mists of water droplets issued from sprays concealed behind many of the plants. The unwary visitor would be mindful of where they stopped to rest, else a telltale damp patch should appear on their apparel. The view from the top of the Humid Biome is amazing and looking down the cascading waterfall to the Lilly pond below is stunning.
Eden is one of the few places on earth that the visitor will wish to return, time after time. By its very nature, this is a living, breathing, growing amphitheatre of the earth on which we live. Few of us will have the opportunity to see a fraction of the species growing at Eden in their natural habitat. In fact, the destruction of these natural habitats ensures that our only opportunity to enjoy such plants may lie in venues such as the Eden Project. Cornwall has a unique attraction at Bodelva, St Austell, that will draw visitors many times to see it progress and continue in its success.