Accessible Britain

Octavia the octopus always draws a good crowd – she can open jars to find her
favourite food. And the cinema-screen-sized Atlantic Eddystone Reef tank beats
watching The Little Mermaid. But it is probably the sand tiger sharks, stingrays and
replica World War II RAF bi-plane in the Atlantic Ocean tank that really steal the show.
There are also hands-on exhibits, puppets and puzzles for young children, displays
about various aspects of ocean life, a daily dive show and a programme of talks. At
11am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, you can witness the turbulent sand tiger
sharks feeding, as they snatch at whole fish dangled to them on (thankfully) long poles.
The entrance is just over three hundred yards from the three disabled parking spaces,
but if this is too far to walk, it is possible to borrow a wheelchair, which you can book
in advance. Once inside, even when armed with a map, the layout is a bit higgledypiggledy
and there is some walking to do between tank areas, but it is generally not
too far and there is seating provided. Stairs can be completely avoided by using lifts.
The tanks are predominantly low, while moveable steps are provided in the “Shallow
Waters” area, so that smaller children can look over the sides of the tanks. Lighting is
generally low level and there is a background soundtrack of underwater noises. All the
Aquarium’s education facilities and meeting rooms have induction loops.
FOOD & DRINK aa The self-service café serves reasonably priced hot and cold food. Staff
can help with carrying food to your table. An extra coffee bar opens in the school holidays,
and an outside picnic area overlooks the Plymouth Sound.
THE SOUTHWEST
057 The Eden Project, Cornwall
Address: Bodelva, St Austell PL24 2SG Web: www.edenproject.com Tel: 01726 811911; access
information 01726 818895 Hours: open daily from 9.30am (10am in winter); closing varies from 4pm
to 9pm (later in summer and at weekends) Dates: closed 25 Dec; occasional maintenance closures:
see website for full details Entry: [D]£25 [C]free [A]£25 [under 5s]free [5–16s]£14 [60+/student]£20;
[Fam]£69; 10 percent discount online
The Eden Project is a feel-good, botanical and conservation attraction on a colossal scale:
two vast, geodesic-dome glasshouses – the “Biomes” – stand at the bottom of a cavernous,
landscaped former clay mine, showcasing the world’s huge diversity of plantlife. Low on tat
and high on changing the world, Eden is, by any standards, one of the UK’s best days out.
The Mediterranean Biome features the sights and scents of warm temperate zones –
the Med, the Cape in South Africa and northern California – with herb and vegetable
gardens, fruit trees and a vineyard. The Rainforest Biome takes you on a trek through the
jungles of Malaysia, West Africa and South America, where huge trees tower overhead,
with exhibits on fair trade and deforestation. It can get very warm and humid, but there
are plenty of seats to rest on, and an air-conditioned refuge in the middle.
Eden has excellent access: on arrival, marshals direct you to parking spaces. Apple
One car park, closest to the entrance and visitor centre, has Blue Badge parking (if you
don’t have a Blue Badge but need an accessible space, speak to one of the readily available
stewards). Both this car park and Apple Two have manual wheelchairs available to
borrow on a first-come, first-served basis (there are forty in total) and there are also
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