10 Eco attractions
COUNTRY LIFE picks the best ten eco-attractions in the country, from Edinburgh to Cornwall.


The Eden project
A symbol of regeneration, ecological awareness and sustainable development. Built in a derelict clay pit, its giant biomes and other habitats contain more than a million plants
www.edenproject.comGibson Mill, West Yorkshire
An old cotton mill in a wooded valley, converted to be 100% self-sufficient using solar and hydro power
www.nationaltrust.org.ukKew Gardens
This famous London garden also runs seed conservation projects and is a referral point for plant conservation around the world
www.kew.orgKynance Cove, The Lizard, Cornwall
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National Trust-run solar-powered beach cafe, on the coast of one of the loveliest parts of Cornwall. The cafe walls are insulated with sheep's wool and the lavatories have their own biological sewage-treatment system
www.nationaltrust.org.ukLondon Wetland Centre
About 100 acres in the heart of the capital, designated a site of Special Scientific Interest, it supports gadwell and shoveler ducks, as well as a diverse range of other wildlife
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/wetlandcentreNagshead, Gloucestershire
A woodland reserve, famous for breeding pied flycatchers, which has a solar powered, zero-energy education centre, and uses a solar-powered electric fence to control stock on the reserve
www.rspb.org.ukRHS Garden Harlow Carr, North Yorkshire
Run as a low-intervention garden, using as few chemicals as possible, pests are kept at bay by 'integrated pest management' (encouraging natural predation by aphids, rather than using pesticides) and the gardeners are increasingly planting drought-resistant plants
www.rhs.org.ukRoyal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Beautiful Edinburgh gardens, and scientific centre for the study of diversity and conservation of plants
www.rbge.org.ukScience Museum, London
Has an interactive gallery dedicated to energy and displays on the science of weather and climate change
www.science museum.org.ukYorkshire Sculpture Park
As well as works by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and James Turrell, enjoy Andy Goldsworthy's new installations?ecological art made from thorns, stones, snow and even human hair (on show until January 6, 2008)?set in 500 acres of 18th-century parkland.
www.ysp.co.uk
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