A Walk At Cornwall's Eden Project - With 27 Photos

We decided to visit Cornwall's Eden Project. We hadn't been for quite a while, what with all of the coronavirus rules and regulations. We walked our usual route and I snapped a few photos.

There were flowers of varying colours and the sky was blue.

Lots of the flowers were growing free which I like to see. A couple of poppies were trying to hide.

A few more similar photos.

There is a Pollination Trail to attract bumblebees and other insects. Below they were being tempted by lavender.

Mind you - you have to be careful that the bees remain a manageable size.

We continued walking in the direction of the two biomes.  The  Rainforest biome is the world's largest indoor rainforest. The other is the Mediterranean biome.

We are now inside the Mediterranean Biome, five photos follow.

The next photo from the Mediterranean Biome is actually from Africa! This is the CAMFED Garden.

The Campaign for female education believes that when girls are educated they can lift their communities out of poverty.

It supports girls in rural Africa, enabling them to stay in education, develop businesses, create jobs and deliver prosperity

Moving on the figures below represent the festivities of Dionysus: wine and fertility - and perhaps a little more wine.

Back to flowers in the Mediterranean biome.

We have now left the biomes. We didn't visit the Rainforest biome this time, as it was so busy.

Next we have The Minibeast Mansion Hotel to keep children amused.

Three photos from fields of flowers on the way to Eden's Core building.

The Core has an exhibition of Invisible Worlds and also other exhibits as below.

A last look at the biomes as we make our way home.

It's hard to visualise now that the Eden Project was built in a china clay pit - but you can see the white clay in the photo below.

I remember years ago visiting the Eden Project as it was being constructed. Staff said that seeing Eden being built was on a par with watching the pyramids being built in Egypt. I thought this a mite over the top! But, who knows, as Eden is spreading to several other countries. Below, for example, is a model of another Eden to be built in Qingdao, China.

Thus ends our Eden Project visit, but we'll be back. No doubt next time we'll also visit the Rain Forest biome, though it can get busy at times - plus the warmth and moisture tends to mist up my camera lens!

Many thanks for visiting my blog - good wishes ~ Mike.

A Walk in Luxulyan Valley to View Cornwall's Industrial Past

A walk today in the Luxulyan Valley. We decided to keep it shortish and walk for an hour and then retrace our footsteps. So no more than two hours in total, probably less. I'll show our starting point at the end of the post.

It's an interesting walk as amongst the pathways there are abandoned remains from Cornwall's industrial past.

Way back, from 1840, stone laden trams would run down an inclined tramway to the valley floor.

Old tramway lines can be seen alongside the path.

We saw very few people as we walked, mainly locals exercising their dogs.

A sign of The friends of the Luxulyan Valley.

The pathway widened.

We walked under a bridge.

There is a warning sign reminding walkers to take care.

Looking up at the bridge, wild flowers contrasted with the blue sky.

Typically for a valley there is a river rushing to get somewhere fast.

Debris had accumulated in the river.

The sky may have been blue but the trees made everywhere cool and dappled.

Ah, and then, suddenly, what I wanted to view: the remnants of the Trevanney Dry used until 1960 for processing china clay piped in from outside of the valley.

The next three photos show the remains of the building.

Red Bricks, the sign of the chimney.

And the chimney from a distance.

We now started to retrace our footsteps. So much greenery.

A river trundled along by the path and ...

... a sign for the St. Blazey Bridge was  by the railway lines. 

We actually started our walk at St. Blazey.

And here we are back by the A390 at St. Blazey. You can see below where I parked my white car. This was in Aberdeen Close - which is just before the railway crossing if travelling east or just after the railway crossing if travelling west.

Our walk started on the opposite side of the road. There isn't a sign but there is a dip and a path can be seen leading into the greenery.

A pleasant enough walk but there is much more to Luxulyan Valley - See my post The Luxulyan Valley Cornwall.

Luxulyan Valley Combined Viaduct and Aqueduct 

The Cornish Wedding of King Arthur to Guenever

Restormel Castle, Cornwall

As I was unable to get out and about this week todays post is the the story of King Arthur's marriage to Guenever (sometimes written as Guenevere).

This is a very old version from the early 1800s and is in a poetry format. I have been fascinated by King Arthur since childhood - anyway, here we go ...

King Arthur Marries Guenever

"When Restormel Castle he alights

With worship hood in hand the knights,

Arthur, conduct to castle bower.

On verdant deis sat Guenever:

Like tendrils of vine, her hair

In golden ringlets falls:

The diamond-comb her hand dismissed,

When she sees  mail and nodding crest

Approach the massive walls;

And rose respectful -: coats of dust,

The armour of the chiefs encrust;

The steeds wet, foaming, pranced;

As o'er her cheek, fresh beauties dawn;

Her King to meet, across the lawn;

She in form divine,  advanced.

Great was the contrast :- beat with rains;

And scorched with suns, on bloody plains,

The warrior King, her lily hands,

Pressed his lips - her countenance bland,

Where opening roses, modest, blushed,

With spotless innocence was flushed.

A Christian Priest with beard of snow, 

The first whom Cornwall's converts know,

Whose words still, Druid forms repeal

With purer faith and holier zeal,

unites their hands - admist the nite,

He prays heaven's grace on them alight.

King Arthur and Queen Guenever

To famed Tintagel now repair.

The skies are clothed in livelier blue,

As onward they their course pursue;

More glorious beams the golden day

On Cornwall's royal-ranged array."

Tintagel Castle, Cornwall

Thanks for visiting my blog. I realise this post isn't everyone's cup of tea!

You might prefer my post A Walk With Stunning Views At Tintagel, Cornwall: King Arthur Country - 20 Photos