The Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, has added what is claimed to be England’s longest zip wire to its more traditional botanical attractions.
The popular tourist attraction, which is based on a site near St Austell in Cornwall, is best known for its gardens and its iconic biomes, huge plastic domes that house tropical and sub-tropical plants in greenhouse-type conditions, but the new zip wire literally gives the site a whole new perspective.
The 740-metre long wire spans the Eden Project’s 35 acres of gardens and installations, and provides an elevated, panoramic view of the site, its surrounding countryside and St Austell Bay. Wire riders will be strapped in to safety harnesses before being sent down the wire.
The Eden Project’s chief executive, Gaynor Coley made the inaugural trip on the SkyWire, and afterwards she told This Is Cornwall, ‘The SkyWire has many meanings to us here at Eden. Not only does it give an exhilarating ride to thrill seekers visiting the project but it also represents the risks people take to be successful in an ever-changing world. The SkyWire is about reaching for the sky, taking opportunities and embracing challenges and we look forward to many people enjoying the ride.’
Marco Fiera, a member of the No Fit State circus company joined Mrs Coley on the zip wire, riding a Penny Farthing bicycle as he went.
Since its opening in 2001, the Eden Project has become one of Cornwall’s most popular attractions, having welcomed over one million visitors. The addition of the zip wire is likely to add a new and more adventurous type of client to the Project’s fan-base.
