YHA Eden Project

Anyone drawn here by the Eden Project will find plenty more hereabouts to keep them close to nature: the stunning Lost Gardens of Heligan are 25 minutes’ drive from the site for wanders and wildlife, there’s an aquarium and a zoo in Newquay (35 minutes), and just five minutes away are the deer, foxes and owls of Prideaux Wood. Outdoorsy types who think the only way to experience nature is to exercise their way through it will be best pleased too. The Cornish Way cycle route – part of the National Cycle Network – passes the site and joins up with the Camel Trail and a mountain biking centre is 15 minutes away. For hikes and rambles, the long-distance South West Coast Path is accessible 10 minutes' drive from the site. Of course, there are other ways to enjoy the coast… It’s less than 15 minutes to the sandy cove of Polkerris beach, part of the Cornish Riviera – a must-visit for swimming, strolls, and watersports including windsurfing, paddleboarding and sailing. For a touch of history, learn about the Cornish coast’s history of shipping disasters at the Charlestown Shipwreck and Heritage Centre (10 minutes), grab a drink half an hour away at the Jamaica Inn (made famous by Daphne du Maurier), or explore stately piles at Trerice, Cotehele and Lanhydrock, all handily within 50 minutes.