Yesterday we did Land's End and St Michael's Mount.
Land's End is what it is, it's the most westerly part of England (but not of the island of Great Britain, allegedly). What irks is the claim in the leaflet that the 'First And Last House' is the most south-westerly part of England, which must be bollocks as it's a hundred yards to the north of the main complex. Ah well.
The castle on St Michael's Mount is stupendously well built, to say it's balanced on top of not very much at all. Complete and utter extravagance, and the gun emplacements don't face out to sea (to beat back the French), they face inland (to beat back the peasants, should they ever decide to revolt). As I like to say, "Land Value Tax will sort them out".
Today, the Eden Project. In architectural, horticultural or engineering terms it is a triumph. The rainforest/tropical jungle dome is even more awesome that the famous greenhouse in Kew Gardens (which I warmly recommend), but what spoils it is the hectoring tone about 'climate change' and sustainable this that and the other, despite the fact that they serve the same drinks in the same plastic cups as McDonalds. And at least ten million people can access Kew Gardens using the humble train, but the ten million visitors of which the Eden Project boasts have all had to undertake a long-ish car journey ...
Monday 3 August 2009
Been there, done that, bought the fridge magnet
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14 comments:
"...what spoils it is the hectoring tone about 'climate change' and sustainable this that and the other, despite the fact that they serve the same drinks in the same plastic cups as McDonalds."
The food is better though - or at least, it was when I went a year or so ago.
Call me stupid but I spent a bit of time in there at the Eden thing and couldn't see where they are. Near Land's End?
Westernmost point of mainland Britain - Corrachadh Mòr, Highland at 56.7°N 6.217°W
MW
Concerning the Eden Project: it was launched in 2000 with a £43 million bung from the Millennium Commission. In 2007/8 according to its accounts the project's owner, Eden Trust, relied on grants for almost 30% of its income. In the same period the Eden Project itself, despite millions visiting, lost £2.8 million gross on £16.8 million turnover. "Eden" which is constantly trumpeted by the "sustainability" gang as a success appears on the contrary to be a triumph of hype (and public money) over crude economics.
The car parks at Eden are amazing. It's the only place I know apart from Stansted Airport where you can drive for miles and see nothing but new letter and colour codes. All the sustainability BS was political crap about so-called social equality (not that eco-nonsense is preferable). It was more crowded that the Northern Line and felt like a concentration camp for Yorkshire pensioners. I HATED HATED HATED it. Lands End is just arse-out-of-trousers poor, like half of Cornwall - no redeeming elan for the utter grimness. St Ives and the North coast beaches are another world, but you have to like beaches and get nice sunny weather (I did - once!)
JM, the food was OK.
JH, "near" is relative. It's about an hour and a half drive from Land's End.
D, thanks, I suspected as much, but "Corrachadh-to-John O'Groats" doesn't have the same ring to it.
U, excellent digging. I'm delighted to hear that for every £1 we spent, the taxpayer chipped in another 50p.
CB, the car parks were amazing, they even have a shuttle bus service to pick up people from the car parks. But look past the sustainability bullshit and I'd put it on par with Kew Gardens (which is a 'must visit' if you're in London). As to the beaches, see this evening's holiday update...
I think they are aware of the potential car issue as the Telegraph had an article a few weeks back about them hosting a competition to award the best 'green' car, of standard production vehicles, and it quoted some staff saying cars were a must in the area.
Kew, whenever I've been, has been completely ruined by jets from Heathrow. Would a LVT solve that too?
I love plants (particularly exotic ones), and I love airshows.
Kew, for me, is sheer heaven! ;)
Did you have to wear a fig leaf?
Matthew, I can't remember the noise of aeroplanes, but then again, you don't listen to plants, you look at them, so I'm with JuliaM on this one.
As to LVT and air travel, that is all part of The Plan. In practice, maybe the noise diminishes your enjoyment, but as a quid pro quo the entry tickets are cheaper than they otherwise would be, so your 'rent' is reduced to compensate.
LT, no. But that's the sort of crap they'd go for (provided the fig leaves are ethically sourced and so on), why don't you suggest it to them?
MW
"I'm delighted to hear that for every £1 we spent, the taxpayer chipped in another 50p."
Yes - it's all wonderfully "sustainable" as long as the taxpayer does the heavy lifting. It's all one with the reality of "social entrepreneurship" which is basically guys with shaven heads wearing shiny suits and no ties telling us how their new green business paradigm magically translates into successful business (as long as the subsidies generated by tax on unfashionable non-green but genuinely profitable enterprises keep rolling in).
U, would that be the same entrepreneurs who shut down their factories the minute the subsidies stop flowing?
Very 'sustainable' that turned out to be!
Perhaps they've rerouted the planes. I've not been to Kew for at least 10 years. I just remember every minute a deafening roar.
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