The Eden Project & Sundown in Charlestown

The perfect day in Cornwall for nature lovers!

On the final day of our #WelcomeToEngland tour, I transported myself, Nina (Reisehappen) and Adeline (Voyagesetc) up from Falmouth to St. Austell, where we planned to spend the day at Cornwall’s infamous Eden Project.

Based in the summit of a hollowed out china clay pit, the Eden Project is one of our most popular visitor attractions, famous for the two enormous Biomes (aka. flippin’ massive greenhouses); one mediterranean and one tropical – home to ‘the largest rainforest in captivity’.

Eden was created as an educational charity, to connect people to the world around them and educate people about plants, what happens to our waste, and why our climate is changing (+ what we can do to help!).

^ You didn’t think I would miss make them eat a pasty, did you?

As well as the Biomes, they have the educational ‘Core’ building, and large gardens outdoors to walk around in (plus a tasty cafeteria too). They also have a zipwire that goes right from one end of the pit to the other – but I’m yet to do this! During school holidays, they run workshops and craft events, and in Winter they have a large ice rink for people to go iceskating too.

^ FYI it’s ridiculously difficult to take a photo in this place without your camera fogging up…

Many people know the Eden Project for the concerts they hold in Summer as well; the Eden Sessions. They often get large artists to come and perform here and it really is a spectacular setting! I’ve been to quite a few, but I think my favourite thing about Eden is still the tropical Biome. I love seeing all the different plants and being in the warmth that makes me want to escape to warmer climates, and I really like the treetop walk where you can walk about the trees and see the waterfalls!

Whilst admission is expensive, you can understand why; a place like this takes enormous upkeep, and a lot of the money is put towards sustainability & conservation initiatives in developing countries.

I remember when the Eden Project was being built, and how many hours I could spend as a child running about in the Biomes pretending I was in some kind of tropical paradise; it really is a great place to take kids.

After our visit, we drove 15 minutes over to Charlestown; a beautiful Georgian harbour town at the edge of St. Austell. I discovered it some time last year as I had to travel there for a business meeting, and I loved it!

The small port here was used in the 1800s for mining exports, and eventually for the export china clay (from all those nearby pits!), but is now still home to several old square riggers ships, making it a popular destination for filming locations (including Poldark, surprise surprise).

I think it’s beautiful, and has the perfect mix of interesting restaurants & cafes, and old quaint pubs and houses, coupled with a harbour view, two small beaches and access to a stunning coastal walk – which is where we went!

From the edge of the Pier House Inn, we walked up along the fields to meet the South West Coast Path, and followed it along to Duporth; a gorgeous beach that’s not accessible by car unless you’re a resident of the surrounding houses. On this Wednesday evening we had it all to ourselves in the sunset!

After our walk back, we enjoyed a delicious meal at Charlie’s Boathouse; a cosy lounge bar and restaurant in the heart of Charlestown. Though it be small, it was bustling (in a good way!) considering it was a mid-week evening, and considering the town outside was dead quiet! It’s obviously the place to be…

Over drinks and the most delicious mushroom pasta in white wine sauce I think I may have ever had (the others had the seafood platter – equally tasty looking!), we talked about Cornwall and travelling and our work; it was funny to find out at the beginning of the week that Nina does exactly the same job as I do! We’re both freelance website designers and bloggers.

After our meal I drove the girls to their hotel (The Cornwall in St. Austell, if you’re wondering!) and we said our goodbyes, before I drove off into the night to get back to Redruth after an exhausting but really fun few days!

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This post was brought to you as a result of the #WelcomeToEngland campaign, created and managed by iambassador in partnership with Visit Britain. As always, The Cornish Life retains all editorial control of what is published.