In continuing my mission of trying new things each month, I had a few in June! In addition to a cold stone massage (as opposed to the typical hot stones) and an immersive art exhibition, I went to a very special music venue…
One of my favourite bands announced summer tour dates in the spring, and when I saw “Cornwall” among the expected list of European cities and festivals, I instinctively knew what that meant. I hadn’t been aware previously that the county’s Eden Project hosted concerts, but it made absolute sense once I thought about it. It also allowed me to quickly disregard the venue I’d typically choose – a date they’d confirmed to play in London – and instead go all-in on planning a trip to the south-west.
My main concern was securing somewhere reasonable to stay: Cornwall is famously costly during summer weekends, and with the show on a Saturday night, a two night stay was practical, and fortunately I managed to find somewhere close to the venue which was also affordable. Game on!
One of the reasons that the concert tickets were such good value is that they also allow you access to the Eden Project during the day of the concert and the day after at no extra cost. It was only when I checked during the weekend that I realised adult peak-season tickets are £38 each. With our concert tickets only costing £60 each, we effectively actually paid £22 for the concert, as we made the most of our Eden Project tickets!
I’ve wanted to go to the Eden Project for a while, but the distance has put me off, so I was keen to take the opportunity this time. We got up in time to be there when it opened on the day of the concert – it was due to be a hot day and the venue’s famous biomes get rather warm. Our choice paid off: it was fairly quiet, so we wandered around without crowds, and enjoyed the Rainforest biome first.
The highlights in there were the canopy walk – incredibly high up across a bridge which sways, and very humid, but totally worth it for the view – plus the waterfall (which was interesting, as you enter at the bottom of the dome, and see the river at various points as you climb higher) and rope bridge. A mystery was also solved in the form of a leafy plant: back in December, we’d had pandan cake when out for dinner one evening, and when I turned around and spotted a plant labelled pandan, I was excited to find the literal root of our previous dessert.
The Mediterranean biome was just as impressive, if a little bizarre to walk through a door in Cornwall which immediately transported me to what looked very much like a Greek island. There’s also a South African section which was really interesting, and even more colour in this dome than the previous one.
The unexpected surprise of the morning was entering the final indoor space at Eden, which is more of a museum. On the top floor, we found an art exhibition themed around The Art of Gathering, looking at how food brings different cultures together. It was a gentle, mixed media exhibit which gave some great cultural insight. The middle floor contains a permanent exhibit about the human microbiome, which is a topic that I love to explore. And on the ground floor is a sculpture called Blue – a giant, curved structure which is textured and glazed, and also emits scented smoke rings (the fragrance was specifically designed for the exhibit).
We took a break to relax in the afternoon before heading back for the show. The atmosphere at Eden was brilliant, everyone enjoying the sunshine and the intimate setting (particularly when you consider that we all could have been a couple of hours up the road at Glastonbury that weekend!). I always think of it as a bonus when I enjoy a support band, and this time we got to see Far From Saints, who put on a great show before headliners, Incubus, came out.
As the sun went down and the music cranked up, we had a fantastic time, topped off with seeing the site in the dark as we left – the biomes were lit up in rainbow colours and, like lots of other attendees, we stopped to capture some final photos.
There’s a lot to see and do at Eden, particularly if you’re attending for one of the Sessions, and I think it’s well worth the time, effort and money. Who wants to go to an indoor echoey box when you can enjoy your favourite artists in sunshine and nature?!