National Memorial Arboretum
Latest Reviews
We go to the arboretum 2 or 3 times a year and always have a fabulous time. The staff are brilliant and love working here because they engage with you to explain where certain monuments happen to be located. There is a lovely café which serves very pleasant snacks, sandwiches etc. or you can also purchase hot food and hot soup etc. Loved the gift shop with some unusual gifts - some are related to poppy day but most aren't so you can pick up a lovely gift for someone's birthday or Christmas e4tc.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
You might think it sad to visit here, but actually its quite uplifting. The staff are great, good shop, great food etc. on site. Free to get in and parking is £3.00 per vehicle for the day. Lots of blue badge disabled bays.
Go on the Land Train as this will take you round the whole site for almost a hour with full commentary which means you don't miss anything and you get to see the parts you want to see. The main part is awesome..........a must to visit
Go on the Land Train as this will take you round the whole site for almost a hour with full commentary which means you don't miss anything and you get to see the parts you want to see. The main part is awesome..........a must to visit
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Heart warming and breaking all at the same time. Takes all day to appreciate the bravery of our forces. May god bless them all.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
The National Memorial Arboretum a very interesting and moving visit. It’s very well laid out and the memorials are all very different and appropriate to their commemoration. Shot At Dawn is particularly moving and also the Far East exhibition.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
You cannot fail to be impressed with this wonderful place . The stories behind many of the memorials are spell binding and emotional . Well worth taking the train or having a guide
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
My wife and I chose to visit on the 100th Year, to the day, Anniversary of the death of her Great Uncle in WW1. A Shepherd from Argyllshire who died serving his country. We laid a Remembrance Poppy with a message from his family at the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Memorial Stone. Visited many other sites and one day was simply not enough. We will be back.
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Yu need a day to do it justice. Very helpful staff, wheelchairs available and a train that tours the site. Nice café for lunch. The site is just amazing. Just off the A38
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
“ When you go home tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave
our today.”
A quote from the “Armed forces memorial ,” a stunning piece of
architecture that represents the sacrifices made.
our today.”
A quote from the “Armed forces memorial ,” a stunning piece of
architecture that represents the sacrifices made.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Our son and daughter in law arranged a coach trip for us to visit as part of our Christmas present.We were amazed at the size of the place and thankful that they had paid to hire a buggy for each of us.To me hiring buggys for £5 is a fantastic idea as we wouldn't have been able to see half of what we did see.It is such a moving place especially the shot at dawn memorial. I do think the information on the shot at dawn postcards (that they sell in the shop)should be also placed on a information board near the memorial.Admission is free but you do have to pay £6 for adults and £3 for children on the land train and the Landscapes of life exhibition also has a charge of adults £7 50 children 6-16 £6. Highly recommended
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Well worth a visit to this excellently laid out place. Everything has been thoughtfully established to give a great feeling to the place. Some of the memories are quiet moving especially the Armed Forces centre piece and the shot at dawn . A must visit
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
I regularly visit the NMA and would strongly recommend it to everyone.
Check out the events listing before you go as the volunteers are so knowledgeable and yesterday I was fortunate to hear two presentations, one about the Gibraltar monument and the second about V.C. winners from the Commonwealth. Both excellent, informative and very well researched talks that inspire you to find out more .......also Lichfield Cathedral currently has its consequences of war exhibition where 3 VCs are on show.
Check out the events listing before you go as the volunteers are so knowledgeable and yesterday I was fortunate to hear two presentations, one about the Gibraltar monument and the second about V.C. winners from the Commonwealth. Both excellent, informative and very well researched talks that inspire you to find out more .......also Lichfield Cathedral currently has its consequences of war exhibition where 3 VCs are on show.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
I came again to visit my father's regiment tree and to pay my respects. Being an ex naval rating I find this memorial superb and I thoroughly enjoy myself whenever I come. I have found hms hood memorial being a second world war fanatic. It's a must see attraction and free to get in
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
I’ve been wanting to visit here for some time, finally managed it on a chilly April day. The site is free to get in, everything else is chargeable, parking, land train, maps etc, this is fair enough. Must admit I found the attitude of the staff curious, questioning why it had taken so long for us to visit, and why we wanted to walk round without a dog. The site is next to the river, and some of the memorials were almost in an island surrounded by water, so tricky to visit, which was a pity. There has been a lot of thought put into the memorials, there are many traditional and more innovative and modern designs to look at. The site is split into zones, I found the most interesting one to be the Far East zone, with a good display concerning the war against Japan and treatment of POW’s. You could literally spend all day wandering about here. As someone who has visited war graves all over Europe I did find that the Arboretum didn’t have the same emotional connection as the CWGC sites though. There’s a reasonable cafe in which you can partake of refreshments, and a well stocked shop. Overall well worth a visit.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
We visited here today as it was as if summer had finally arrived,there were a lot of veterans walking about and we heard the last post being played so there must have been some sort of meeting but we don't know what it was.
There is so much to see and it is such a beautiful place,it makes you feel quite emotional when you see some of the remembrance crosses and the messages on them.The sculptures and statues are fantastic and the whole place is well looked after. We decided we will go back with a drink and sandwiches so we can spend longer there next time,although there is a cafe which we went into and a shop selling reasonably priced souvenirs.
There is so much to see and it is such a beautiful place,it makes you feel quite emotional when you see some of the remembrance crosses and the messages on them.The sculptures and statues are fantastic and the whole place is well looked after. We decided we will go back with a drink and sandwiches so we can spend longer there next time,although there is a cafe which we went into and a shop selling reasonably priced souvenirs.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Just back from another good day at the arboretum, with a 4yr old, 7yr old, 2 'gownups' & a 94 yr old. We had great fun wading to do the Easter egg hunt, but we all really enjoyed making the planes! Big thank you to the staff in the craft room, especially the lady on duty at about 1.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Visited here for the first time during the Easter Event, with 2 7.5 year olds. They enjoyed the concept of finding the letters by means of a map. They did enjoy looking at all the different memorials, despite the concept being missed somewhat. They loved meeting and handling some of the resident animals, and even making an arty Stone. It is a beautiful place and even when there is a fair number of visitors it can still be deemed peaceful and awe inspiring. We had a lovely couple of hours here.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Travelling back from Derby we realised we were not far from this Arboretum. We were so pleased to have found it and spent hours walking around - some times boggy ground astounded that we had not visited before.
It was a moving emotional experience at times but certainly brought to the fore how futile A special area for "shot at dawn" brought a tear to the eye when so many were shot for not coping with war.
Young and old were walking around this wonderful area which is vast - some looking for names on the wonderful memorial which is there for all to see.
It was a moving emotional experience at times but certainly brought to the fore how futile A special area for "shot at dawn" brought a tear to the eye when so many were shot for not coping with war.
Young and old were walking around this wonderful area which is vast - some looking for names on the wonderful memorial which is there for all to see.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Perfect place to reflect on the good there is in mankind versus the evil in the world. A stunning day out for all the family
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
The Arboretum is a place to go if you want to walk around in an
extremely peaceful atmosphere. If you have any history of family who have died in the wars it is a place to gain information. The staff were very helpful.
extremely peaceful atmosphere. If you have any history of family who have died in the wars it is a place to gain information. The staff were very helpful.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Every October we travel on the bikes with the ride to the wall event to remember our fallen heroes. Occasionally, throughout the year, I just take a ride there in my own. Just a peaceful place to reflect and remember, with fantastic, knowledgeable staff and a lovely cafe. Would certainly recommend if in the area, and if in a motorcycle, free parking! 🏍
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Very impressive National Centre. So much to see and absorb. Impossible in the time available. Do talk to the volunteer guides as they are mind of information. The gentleman at the Central Monument was so interesting. Visiting seasonally would also give you a different perspective.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
What a visually-stunning place. It's quiet, peaceful but with mighty monuments and memorials across the landscape within the beautiful wooded areas. It's a shame it was flooded today as we only got to do about 70% of it but what we saw was outstanding. My particular favourite was the Paras memorial and the most thought-provoking, I believe, was the 'Shot at Dawn' memorial. There's so much to see and do other than the memorials too, we'll definitely be back here to this humbling experience. FYI the cafe has one of the best ginger cakes I've ever tasted - must recommend!
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
This was a revisit after several years and my has the place changed. The central focus of the fallen in the service of the UK since 1945 is so very moving. More than 16000 names carved into the Portland stone and raised on a mound which can be seen from most of the very large site. The statues are superb reflecting every aspect of dying for one's country.
The Camp Bastion memorial is new to me and is a worthy monument in its own right. I visited the shot at dawn site again as this was the most lasting part of my previous visit.
I like the new Polish memorial to the wide array of different contribution by Polish people to WW2. People dont seem to realise that Polish fliers made a huge difference to the Battle of Britain and that Polish soldiers marched from Siberia to fight in Italy and Normandy. I revere their bravery and feel so guilty at the poor treatment they received because of the deal with Stalin.
There now is a huge visitor centre at the site and there is an extra building site with a new conference centre underway. As the site is flat I think that these buildings rather dominate the rest of the site and this is not a good thing. I have heard people describe this as like a theme park. Despite being Easter there is no leaf nor blossom and there was plenty of ground water and mud. It didnt feel stark in the way that commonwealth cemeteries do in the winter but rather crowded.
Admission is free but the car park is £3 and donations of £5 for admission are requested most politely. I didnt use the cafe but did look in the shop which was very unimaginative. The shop has the sort of things that you would find in many National Trust shops apart from the general theme of poppies. There was nothing for young people to buy.
So yes this review is quite critical in parts because I think the place is in danger of losing its identity whereas if you visit the Pegasus Bridge memorial in Normandy the identity is very clear indeed.
The Camp Bastion memorial is new to me and is a worthy monument in its own right. I visited the shot at dawn site again as this was the most lasting part of my previous visit.
I like the new Polish memorial to the wide array of different contribution by Polish people to WW2. People dont seem to realise that Polish fliers made a huge difference to the Battle of Britain and that Polish soldiers marched from Siberia to fight in Italy and Normandy. I revere their bravery and feel so guilty at the poor treatment they received because of the deal with Stalin.
There now is a huge visitor centre at the site and there is an extra building site with a new conference centre underway. As the site is flat I think that these buildings rather dominate the rest of the site and this is not a good thing. I have heard people describe this as like a theme park. Despite being Easter there is no leaf nor blossom and there was plenty of ground water and mud. It didnt feel stark in the way that commonwealth cemeteries do in the winter but rather crowded.
Admission is free but the car park is £3 and donations of £5 for admission are requested most politely. I didnt use the cafe but did look in the shop which was very unimaginative. The shop has the sort of things that you would find in many National Trust shops apart from the general theme of poppies. There was nothing for young people to buy.
So yes this review is quite critical in parts because I think the place is in danger of losing its identity whereas if you visit the Pegasus Bridge memorial in Normandy the identity is very clear indeed.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
This beautiful memorial to the forces, organisations and individuals who have served our country during and since the Second World War should be visited by everyone if at all possible. History comes alive and the lovely arboretum is a fitting tribute to those whose contribution to our lives and community as we know it today should never be forgotten.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Excellent facility to visit well presented displays honouring our fallen heroes - lest we forget
Ample parking and good for all the family
Good for a picnic in the summer
Ample parking and good for all the family
Good for a picnic in the summer
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
