This was my first visit but definitely won't be my last. The whole visit was a wonderful experience. Lots of wide open space to explore, many moving tributes and memorials which also tell a story and you feel a connection to those being remembered.
During my visit, The RAF were taking part in a ceremony to commemorate service personnel recently added to a memorial. The sight of men and women in uniform lining the path to the armed forces memorial was incredibly touching.
The venue itself is very accessible and suitable for wheelchair users and pushchairs. Facilities at the venue were very clean and there are plenty of staff on hand to offer help and information when required.
Parking is £3 all day and entry is free but donations accepted. Prices in the restaurant / coffee shop are quite competitive with other branded chains.
All in all a wonderful day out.

Everyone should make the effort to visit the National Memorial Arboretum - its not just a military memorial - many other organisations and services are remembered - the place is also growing all the time and over the coming years it will flourish as the trees and plants grow.
Spent most of a day there walking around - there is so much to see, if walking difficult then you can catch the land train or treat yourself to a buggy guided tour.
The main memorial was under refurbishment, so was not able to explore fully, but I was lucky to return on the 11th November to attend the Armistice Service in the company of Prince Harry, a truly wonderful experience.
The centre has a nice shop and cafe, the volunteer guides and staff are very knowledgeable and nothing is to much trouble to them.
I certainly will visit again. Its free but even with a donation its a wonderful day out.

During the recent half term we took our son to the NMA to prepare him for a later visit with school.
There are many and varied memorials that since its creation have created a wonderful place to visit as good as any I have visited around the world but close to home. Some of the views recorded here or on the NMA website have to be seen to be appreciated.
The trigger for our visit was to see how the memorial to neo-natal deaths, the SANDS garden has matured. We were rewarded for our visit. Whilst there we identified a great cafe and Royal British Legion shop.
We let my mum see the wonderful guide book and as a result we are to revisit for her birthday in December

A very pleasant place to visit. Well kept and respectful. Plenty of personal space and a good cafe too.

What a fantastic place, not only is it a great day out but a day out in the fresh air. There are numerous memorials from every branch of the armed forces, also the police, fire service, women's land army and even the railway industry. All of which have served in past conflicts in one way or another. I am a little biased as I served in the military, the fire service and the railway industry. The main memorial of course being the memorial wall with the names of all of the people from all of the services that have died since the Second World War are remembered. Nevertheless, there is such a lot to see, do and learn at the Arboretum. The site is very disabled friendly, there are cafés and restaurants on site. There are plenty of places to stay if you would like spend time in the heart of England with the national forest and also Cannock chase on the door step. Very easy to reach from every direction with good road links.

We had wanted to visit for a long time and when we were invited to attend the 60th anniversary of the Suez campaign we were so pleased. What a beautiful Memorial this is, it covers a vast area but there are guided tours, walking , buggy or land train all at reasonable prices. Entrance to the grounds is free but after seeing the great work that has been put in to it I think everybody leaves a donation. We did not get chance to see a great deal but will make every effort to return. There is an excellent restaurant and gift shop in the new Remembrance Centre.

The NMA is a special place and despite many visits I still don't think I have seen all it has to offer. The new Centre is impressive and increases the worth of a visit.

Whilst obviously nicer on a dry day I have been in all weathers from snow to hot sun.

The Naitonal Memorial should be reopened very soon hopefully and you cant fail to be moved especially when you consider the timeline for all those names is so short.

A fttting place for reflection and commemoration and ever improving both in terms of the quality of the facilites and the maturity of the grounds.

Dont miss it and if you have never been on the first Saturday of October when the Ride to The Wall takes place I would suggest you add that date to your diary now.

I am ex-WRNS/RN and my husband is still serving, so we have always wanted to visit but haven't done so as we have a dog. Yesterday my husband was on duty there, so I accompanied him and obviously had to have our dog with me, so I walked the dog walking route. The section along the road and river was very pleasant and there were a few memorials adjacent to the path which I could see, although it seemed odd that the poo bins were well off the path (40 feet or so) when signs asked dogs not to leave the path. Thankfully Pip had already been or else I would not have been able to get to the bin to dispose of it without breaking the rules! There are stakes to tie dogs to so you can look at the memorials, but with the number of dogs stolen these days, and the possibility of dogs being reported as dangerous if they so much as bark or growl at someone, I cannot see any dog-owner actually using them. I certainly wouldn't.

The loop of dog walking route around the Millennium Wood isn't signed at all, and the dog-walk leaflet is a very poor map, so when the Spiritualist Monument didn't appear as planned I realised I had turned off the river path early and felt very bad that I had taken Pip where I wasn't supposed to. After a few false starts I managed to get back on track, but signs would have been very helpful indeed. Similarly, there was no sign where the route branches off down the main avenue towards the Remembrance Centre. Down this path I was almost tearful. There was the RN monument across some grass, but I couldn't leave the path to view it. Similarly I couldn't go to see the ATS memorial (my mother was a member), even though it was only a few feet off the path. Most explanatory signs are set off the path so I had to read them using the telephoto lens on my camera. I couldn't even sit on a bench as they were all set well off the path I was restricted to.

When I arrived a kind gentleman had showed me how to get to the dog path past some works, and explained that I could sit in Heroes Square and have a cup of tea when we had finished. After having waited five hours for my husband to finish his duties, and the emotional turmoil of being so close but not able to see the memorials which meant most to me, I was desperate for a cup of tea, so headed up to the square to find that yes, I could sit with Pip outside, and even under cover, but I couldn't take her into the building and there was no way to order tea without going in, so I couldn't have tea at all!

From what I managed to see I think it is probably well worth a visit, but sadly not for dog-owners.

A must see. The newly opened exhibition centre is so poignant and the service in the Chapel (arrive for 10:45 am) was a great reflective way to start. Catch the land train or pay for hand held devices to guide you round the Arboretum. A very moving and personal experience.

I always thought that the National Memorial Arboretum was a place to remember the victims of conflict. How wrong I was. There are memorials of all kinds, I believe there are over 300. We spent a couple of hours here on our way to another function, I really wish we could have spent longer, maybe next time due to the distance travelled, only short compared to some but well worth the effort. Very proud to see the names of ex colleagues remembered from the Lancashire regiments and the Queens Lancashire Regiments. Well done to the staff and volunteers and the Royal British Legion.

.. however you will not be able to see everything in one day .. so research the things you want to see this time .. First it's situated off the M6 toll so there is a charge for that .. then there is a £3 charge for parking .. lastly there is an admission charge and a charge for the little train which will save an amount of walking .. you will be given a map or take a guided tour .. you will easily spend all day here so comfy shoes are needed however there are plenty of benches for a rest and porta loos are at each information stop .. We did make use of the cafe where I purchased a glutton free ham sandwich that was tasteless and uneatable .. ..

Had an excellent time at the arboretum on s school trip today, Jo was fantastic with the children and the adults loved it too! The new centre looks fantastic and the grounds are beautiful, with so many different stories hidden amongst the trees. Can't wait to visit with my family and get the information headset on.

Today we visited the war memorial. What a sad but beautiful place. A thoroughly enjoyable day we had. It was a shame that the main feature was not opened but they say it will be finished in time for the remberance day service. The staff was very imformative. This place is very big and lots to see in fact we couldn't fit them all in. Will be going back.

This was our second visit to the Arboretum and the new building was open. After a £17m investment it is very impressive and you either pay a £5 "donation or £7.5(£6 for concessions) and get a audio guide.
It is impossible to visit all the memorials in a day so we chose to see those we missed last time, plus there are always new ones.
The main memorial was closed for restoration but we suspected that is was being readied for armistice day next Sunday, not a problem as we saw it last time.
You can pay for one of the train rides which is recommended on a first visit to see the main ones.
We were ready for lunch which we enjoyed last time, but the chicken curry this time was almost inedible! Perhaps it was a bad day or maybe they should have spent some of the £17m on their menus!
Well worth a visit at this time of year to remember those who gave their all. Don't miss the "soldiers shot at dawn", very moving.

This is a sombre affair but its well kept .a memory to our fallen heroes.this is worth a visit as it's a big memorial.

A beautiful place and worth visiting. I wanted to see the memorial to the DEMs as my Dad was a gunner on the merchant ships during World War 2. I'm sure many people have a personal reason for visiting and there are over 300 different memorials. It's all beautifully kept with plenty of seats and there's also a land train with commentary if you don't feel up to walking round the 150 acre site. The restaurant serves good food at reasonable prices. Many volunteers give their time to keep this running - well done to them all.

Unlike any other war commemorative sites this is uplifting rather than sombre. Historically interesting, and beautifully laid out. It is vast so take advantage of the land train with its informative commentary which makes everything come alive. There is information about the trees as well as the memorials. The talk in the Chapel is also informative

The restaurant is good, varied selection of food, well cooked and reasonably priced.

Another place that depends heavily on a corps of volunteers, all of them lovely and helpful

Set in 150 acres of countryside this place is well worth a visit. There is a train that takes you round some of the memorials which costs £5 and they tell you some of the history of the memorials. At the main entrance there is a restaurant, gift shop and a cafe. If you have a dog they are also welcome. To walk around the whole place would probably take a few hours but if you went on a nice day it would be worth it.

Our second visit - ten years since the last time.

A beautiful site and it is hard to believe it was originally a sand and gravel quarry. There are over 300 different memorials, interspersed between a range of small (maturing) mainly British trees, with all the memorials individually designed.

There are many gravel and tarmac pathways, but to fully appreciate the area you do have to go "off piste" and on to the grass, so in the winter, remember to bring suitable footwear.

There is a spacious cafeteria area offering freshly prepared food - everything from a packet of crisps to a full roast dinner.

A new addition since our previous visit is a large "retail area". I can fully understand the Royal British Legion wanting to maximise its fundraising and it was fascinating to see how many items could be branded with a poppy logo.

However, I feel "The Poppy" is being rather devalued and being turned into a fashion accessory. For nearly 100 years the simple red paper poppy has been a poignant symbol of remembrance as well as one of the major means of fund raising for the Legion.

At the store at the NMA it was possible to buy enamelled poppy earrings, collar studs, broochs as well as larger garden ornaments and indestructible poppies to go on car radiator grilles.

It worries me that younger people and future generations may buy one of these expensive symbols (with only a small percentage going to the RBL) and feel they have done their duty in contributing to the charity - and then bring out the same item each November in the coming years.

The RBL needs continuing contributions to enable it to maintain it charitable work.

Very well laid out with simply hundreds of memorials large and small. From conflicts of the distant past to those closer to the present day. All well presented and cared for, although several were being cleaned or refurbished when we visited. Excellent new restaurant with tasty food for a good price.

We visited this venue with the purpose of seeing the trees in autumn colour, so many were young trees, and with no info on the tree's I felt as an arboretum much was missing. However, the information on military history was ample, and disturbingly thought provoking. The 'Shot at dawn' area, was so hard hitting and emotive. The sculpture's and art works will stay with me. I understand that each tree is a personal memorial to each individual, I would just have liked to see each tree with more space and information as to what the tree was and if there was meaning to the choice of tree. There is a train that takes the journey around the site, and guided tours.

We took our dog so had to stick to the dog walk but still saw most of the memorials. I don't see what harm a dog on a lead could do just walking round so didn't understand why we were restricted. We enjoyed the visit and the walk by the river was very enjoyable

Our visit was combined with a journey to visit family in the midlands so was a bit of an afterthought however the NMA is amazing and I would urge everyone to visit .
The staff are friendly ,helpful ,patient and informative and the exhibition makes you think about the how's and why's of lives given in service of the country.
The new building had just opened on Friday 21st October and we visited on the Monday ,it contains excellent toilet facilities, a visitor restaurant(good home cooked food)) and a gift shop with some good poppy gifts for sale ,however I was disappointed with the limited selection of books available.
It was a breezy October day so the buildings warmth was appreciated also.
The site is free to enter but the exhibition costs £7.50 ,there is also a motorised train £5.00 which tours 65% of the site which is also good value especially if you have visitors who are less mobile.
The NMA guide book is also a worthwhile purchase £6.50 which is a great souvenir and contains lots of glossy colour pictures of many of the memorials.
Parking is £3.00 per car and is a 10 minute walk from the main entrance, however there is closer parking for those with disabilities near the entrance.
The site has a chapel near the main hall which is thoughtfully designed and worth a visit.
The outstanding memories I will take away are hearing children laugh and run around the site playing whilst also being told the stories of the memorials and explaining what they meant and generally enjoying the thousands of trees planted.
The memorials are thought provoking and peaceful on a beautiful countryside site that takes hours to explore (luckily there are portacabin toilets around the site)
All in all an excellent visit and very much worth the effort.
However I was sad that the main armed forces memorial was cordoned off due to building work (albeit mentioned on the website that it is closed for work) as I am from Newcastle upon Tyne and cannot visit easily.

We have visited in the past but this time we took our son and his family. It has been over ten years since our last visit and many changes have taken place. There is a new visitor centre and new restaurant along with an activities centre for children. The number of memorials have increased and modern conflicts now have a place here. It is a peaceful place and walking around we were able to increase the knowledge of our children and explain more of what they had learnt at school. The trench brought home a little of what conflict was all about and the sheer number of people who lost their lives both on land sea and in the air. This is an awesome place.

We have just visited the NMA for the second time, each time we have had a love day. The new centre was lovely a great asset , so much to see, the changing colour of the tees was lovely. Such an inspiring, tranquil place to visit. The staff are wonderful, helpful and very informative. Well worth going to spend a day there