Access Guide

We want to provide a great experience for all ages, abilities and backgrounds and so we work with the Sensory Trust to find creative approaches to physical access and sharing information.

This access guide for the Eden Project has been developed by the Sensory Trust.
The guide is based on the Access Chain which looks at access through the stages of a visitor’s experience.

Before you arrive

Planning your visit and personal Assistance

Access volunteers

We offer a scheme for people who experience mobility or sensory impairments. We have an excellent team of volunteers to assist visitors around the project. There is no charge for this service. In order to ensure that there is a volunteer available please book by telephone on (01726) 818895 or email gdyson@edenproject.com before you visit.

When on site a member of staff is always close at hand to offer you all/any assistance required.

Assistance dogs

Assistance dogs are welcome at Eden. All other dogs must be left at home or in the car parks. Visitors are welcome to go back to the car parks to check on dogs and re-enter without paying again.

Shaded parking is limited and allocated on a first-come-first-served basis so you should arrive early to avoid disappointment. Water is available for assistance dogs around the site.

Carers

If you have a carer to help you the great news is that they get in free.

Wheelchairs

Because it is not always convenient for people to bring their own wheelchairs Eden offers a range of free wheelchairs for visitors who need them. All our wheelchairs are rated up to 133kg/21 stone. We have quite a few manual wheelchairs, so there is normally no need to book. We also have two types of powered chairs, one attendant controlled and the other self-driven. But these are limited and so it is essential to book. Please telephone (01726) 818895 or email gdyson@edenproject.com.

There is no charge for the use of the chairs but as the Eden Project is a charity donations to the Eden Trust will be gratefully received. Please let us know when booking your tickets if you would like to borrow a chair.

Useful Contacts

Eden information line
Telephone (01726) 811911 for general information or email boxoffice@edenproject.com for box office enquiries.

Eden Access volunteers
Telephone (01726) 818895 or email gdyson@edenproject.com

Sensory Trust
Telephone (01726) 222900 or email enquiries@sensorytrust.org.uk

How to get to the Eden Project

Public Transport

Train

St. Austell is the nearest major town with a train station. It is four miles from Eden. A bus service to the Eden Project meets many of the trains coming into St. Austell. The nearest train station to Eden is Par. It is a 45 minute walk or a short taxi ride to Eden. Tickets that include admission to the Eden Project are available from any rail station in the country. It's a good deal! Telephone National Rail enquiries on 08457 484950 for more information.

Bus

Eden has its own bus service which is painted bright green. Buses run regularly from St. Austell, Newquay, Helston, Falmouth and Truro to the Banana car park at Eden. The walk from Banana car park is the most accessible route for entry to Eden. All return bus services leave from Banana car park. A discounted combined bus ticket and entry is available. Telephone Truronian on (01872) 273453 or First on (0870) 6082608 for timetables and more information.

Personal Transport

Car

Eden is easy to get to from both the A30 and A38. There are signposts on both roads.

Walking and Cycling

Walking or cycling is not the most obvious way to get to Eden but it gives you a chance to look at the countryside around us. It is also good for you and the environment. Walkers and cyclists enjoy a discount off the adult entry charge, and children under 15 accompanied by an adult come free. Make yourself known at the pre-paid ticket desk for your discount. The walk from St Austell train station is about 6 miles. There are one or two fairly steep slopes and in wet conditions the path may be muddy in some places. There are also Clay Trails taking in all the beauty of Cornwall’s industrial heritage. The Bugle, Wheal Martyn and Par Beach trails are all ideally suited for walkers. They provide an ideal way to see this unique part of the Cornish landscape, passing Mica dams, clay tip peaks and peaceful lakes.
For more information about these trails contact The Clay Trails of Cornwall for a leaflet www.claytrails.co.uk

When you arrive

Parking

There is plenty of free parking at Eden. We have lots of car park stewards to help you. All of the car parks are named after fruit, like Banana, Apple, Orange or Strawberry to help you remember where you are parked. You might have to park away from the entrance because the site is so large however this can often be the easiest and shortest way to get to the entrance. There are Park-and-Ride buses that will take you from the car parks to the drop off point nearest the entrance and Visitor Centre. There are well signposted footpaths if you would like to walk to the entrance and Visitor Centre.

Park-and-Ride

The Park-and-Ride buses run a non-stop service from the car parks to the nearest drop off point to the Visitor Centre. The buses are fully accessible and all pick up and drop off points have raised kerbs to accommodate access.

Accessible parking

When you drive into the Eden Project please display your Blue Badge clearly if you have one. If you are not a Blue badge holder but need accessible parking please speak to a car park steward when you arrive. Accessible parking spaces are available in car parks Apple 2, Apple 3 and Banana. The car park stewards will direct you. Please note the Park-and-Ride buses do not run from these car parks. To get to the Visitor Centre from Apple 2 car park you need to go down a tarmac path. The path is 32 metres long. The gradient is 1:18 with a short steeper section at 1:10. You can book assistance before you arrive. Please telephone 01726 818895 or email gdyson@edenproject.com for more information. There are manual wheelchairs available in Apple 2 car park.

Drop off points

If you need to drop off someone there is a drop-off area in Apple 2 car park – for directions just ask any of our car park stewards. If further assistance is required please call the steward team on 07929 202408

Taxi drop off

The taxi drop off point is Apple 2 car park where you will also find toilet facilities and lockers.

Visitor Centre

In front of the Visitor Centre there is a covered area. This area has flat level access. There are toilets and a cash point and on the right is the Visitor Centre where you buy tickets and enter the Eden Project. If you need to borrow a wheelchair or would like assistance from an Access volunteer please see a steward in the Visitor Centre.

During your visit

Getting Around

Gradients and surfaces

The Eden Project is an old clay mine and as such it is a challenging site with a variety of gradients. Zig-zag paths that cross the slopes have been used to keep steep gradients to a minimum. There are a number of accessible transport options on site and the stewards are always keen to help. Path surfaces on site inside and outside the biomes are tarmaced except for some of the paths in the Outdoor Biome in the Wild Cornwall area.

Recommended routes

There are three recommended routes from the Visitor Centre to the Link building. Inside the Link building you will find a range of facilities including cafes, seating, toilets and of course the entrances to the Biomes. These routes offer the easiest access to the Biomes.

Route 1: Minimum gradient - The Core
Turn to the right from the Visitor Centre, go over the bridge and take the lift down to the back of the Core building. Enter the first floor of the Core through the automatic doors on the deck area. Take the lift from beyond Jo’s Café to ground level. You can then exit the building and turn right. This is the main path to the Link building and the Biomes.

Route 2: Gentle gradient - The zig-zag path
Walk left from the Visitor Centre down the zig-zag path which is a continuous 1:18 graded tarmac path with landings at each end. This is the most commonly used route, keep heading down to the middle of the pit and then head to the Link building and the entrance to the biomes.

Route 3: Assisted transport - The Land Train
Turn left from the Visitor Centre and take the left turning under the covered walkway to the Land Train. The Land train will take you through the Outdoor Biome to the Stage area which is a short flat walk from the Link building and the entrance to the biomes. The last carriage has been adapted to accommodate up to 3 wheelchairs, it is also able to carry most larger mobility wheelchairs.

The entrance to the Biomes is through the Link building which is between the two biomes. The Link building contains restaurants, cafes and toilets.

Accessible Services and Facilities

To help Eden provide you with the best possible service we ask you to provide any access requirements you may have when booking your tickets. The box office staff are fully trained to help with any information regarding access and have attended TypeTalk training. Tickets can be booked by telephoning the box office on (01726) 811972 or at www.edenbookings.com. Text phone is available on this number.

Toilets

All toilets on site are easily accessible and offer accessible facilities. They are located in Banana coach park, the Visitor Centre (on the left as you come in), The Core and in the Link Building between the Biomes (in both Zzub Zzub and between Pasty and Café Bar on the ground floor and on the Link Bridge).

Hearing loops

Hearing loops are available at 3 of the ticketing booths located in the Visitor Centre at arrival. They will be shown by the T and ear symbol sign on the desks.

Information (Large print, Braille, audio tours)

Eden has developed a series of Discover packs with the Sensory Trust. These guidebooks are available to read in the Apple Café in the Visitor Centre and in Jo’s Café in the Core building. They are available in English, Easy English, Large Print, Widgit and also in French, German and Japanese. There is also a Braille translation that is available by post. Please telephone George Dyson on 01726 818895 or email gdyson@edenproject.com. Electronic versions of the packs are available in PDF, text only and Widgit versions for supported and unsupported visits and an activity pack. They can be downloaded from the Sensory Trust website http://sensorytrust.org.uk/projects/eden/eden_rediscover.html and the Eden website http://www.edenproject.com/whats-at-eden/whats-here/index.php.

Food & Drink

The restaurants and cafés at Eden offer vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options and do not knowingly include GM ingredients in any of our food. As well as enjoying the food you can also find out all about food and how it grows at Eden. We support the local economy by buying local food when we can.

Seating and shelter

Eden has plenty of sheltered and indoor spaces as well as the great outdoors. There are also plenty of places to take a rest, on a seat or on some grass.

Medical Assistance

If you require medical assistance please speak to a member of the Eden Team who will call a member of the First Aid Team. We have a First Aid room in the Visitor Centre, the Link Building and the Core. We also have a paramedic onsite.

Sensory highlights

The Eden Project is a feast for all the senses.

Sight

After arriving at Eden you will go through the visitor centre and step out onto the viewing platform where you will be presented with the spectacle that is Eden! The breathtaking landscape encircles the Biomes, giant stage and the Core, our unique copper roofed building. The more you look the more you see. As you explore you will be tantalised by the colours, shapes and patterns that present themselves! Eden is a living project that will be different every time you come.

Touch

The Biomes offer a full sensory experience as you travel from the temperate tropics outside through the humidity of the Rainforest Biome and the dry warmth of the Mediterranean Biome. There are many natural textures that can be explored in the Outdoor Biome particularly in Wild Cornwall. Don’t forget to check out the back wall in the Core which is covered in hand prints; see if you can find one the same as your own!

Sound

The Outdoor Biome provides an ideal home for a range of British birds; listen out for the occasional zip wire ride speeding overhead, (with maybe a scream or two).
Every summer Eden puts on the Eden Sessions, a series of outdoor concerts; come and experience the joy of music in the magical setting of Eden.

Smell

The rich smell of nature decomposing in the Rainforest Biome and the dry fragrance in the Mediterranean Biome where you can also investigate the Perfume exhibit. Outside you will find a range of heady scents through the garden of flowers, lilies, sweet peas and many more!

Taste

Enjoy the fresh taste of local produce at all of the restaurants and cafes or try our own Eden Ale, brewed by Sharp’s Brewery. Cool down with a Cornish ice cream or take home a tempting treat from the Shop.

Look out for our Pollination team who can sometimes be found handing out tasters of chai tea or chocolate!

When you leave

Public Transport

Park-and-Ride

The Park-and-Ride buses run a non-stop service from the pick-up point at the end of the covered path from the Visitor Centre. Please ask a steward if you need assistance up this path.

The buses are fully accessible and all pick up and drop off points have raised kerbs to accommodate access.

Buses

All bus services to St. Austell, St Austell train station, Newquay, Helston, Falmouth and Truro leave from Banana car park. Telephone Truronian on 01872 273453 or First on 0870 6082608 for timetables and more information.

Feedback

We are always looking for feedback, good or bad, on the service and experience that we provide. Please take the time to let us know about your visit, what worked and what could work better.

Useful Contacts

If you would like further information or would like to comment about access please contact us on: (01726) 818785 or email gdyson@edenproject.com

www.sensorytrust.org.uk
http://www.edenproject.com/whats-at-eden/whats-here/index.php.
http://sensorytrust.org.uk/projects/eden/eden_rediscover.html

Download our Map

Download Map of Eden PDF