National Memorial Arboretum
Latest Reviews
Our first visit so we bought the guidebook. (Spent a bit of money in the shop too)
Looked round one side on our first day and picked out what we wanted to see when we went back on Sunday for the scout memorial unveiling.
Lots to look at, not all military. Anyone can place memorials here, you need to contact them.
Apart from looking at the military areas, we saw the SANDS area where pebbles are placed by those who have lost a baby. There's another area of trees with a play park which is dedicated to children and young people.
The Shot at Dawn area has a talk at 1330 daily. During WW1 nobody knew about shell shock and assumed cowardice.
It's free to go here, although parking is £3 a day and donations are welcome.
For the less able (or too lazy to walk!). There's a train costing £5 which takes you round.
Looked round one side on our first day and picked out what we wanted to see when we went back on Sunday for the scout memorial unveiling.
Lots to look at, not all military. Anyone can place memorials here, you need to contact them.
Apart from looking at the military areas, we saw the SANDS area where pebbles are placed by those who have lost a baby. There's another area of trees with a play park which is dedicated to children and young people.
The Shot at Dawn area has a talk at 1330 daily. During WW1 nobody knew about shell shock and assumed cowardice.
It's free to go here, although parking is £3 a day and donations are welcome.
For the less able (or too lazy to walk!). There's a train costing £5 which takes you round.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
My wife and I visited here recently to commemorate what would have been my Father's 80th birthday and to visit his former regiment's memorial (11th Hussars).
An amazing place filled with real atmosphere and beautifully maintained.
An excellent visitor experience for all ages.
An amazing place filled with real atmosphere and beautifully maintained.
An excellent visitor experience for all ages.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
This place makes you think about the sacrifice all around the world fantastic and educational the staff so helpful and humble I am ex forces and I was overwhelmed with the size of the site you could spend all day walking around I can say a few tears were shed shop and cafe very nice and reasonable free to enter donation asked not compulsory I would recommend five stars
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Difficult to put into words how affected I was here, I had no intentions of visiting that day as it was purely coincidental that I was even in the area, But I am so pleased I did.
The staff, the grounds second to non, such a beautiful place and for me emotional as I found a memorial to my great grandfathers ship, not a surprise considering where I was but made my experience far more meaningful.
This place should be a mandatory visit for everyone.
The staff, the grounds second to non, such a beautiful place and for me emotional as I found a memorial to my great grandfathers ship, not a surprise considering where I was but made my experience far more meaningful.
This place should be a mandatory visit for everyone.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
The National Memorial to all our fallen Servicemen and women who have laid their lives down for their Country. Although the main hall and restaurant and car park are undergoing massive reconstruction it does not hamper the reason for visiting.
One does not have to be a service person to appreciate this living memorial. Apart from the main monument many regiments and other organisations have their own memorials. The main display is of course the magnificent tree collections.
If you have mobility problems everywhere is wheelchair friendly. There is a "train" to take you on a tour at a small fee of course.
There are good toilet facilities and a very good restaurant and tea bar.
A must visit to pay respects for our Service personnel.
One does not have to be a service person to appreciate this living memorial. Apart from the main monument many regiments and other organisations have their own memorials. The main display is of course the magnificent tree collections.
If you have mobility problems everywhere is wheelchair friendly. There is a "train" to take you on a tour at a small fee of course.
There are good toilet facilities and a very good restaurant and tea bar.
A must visit to pay respects for our Service personnel.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
We visited today with two children, one 12 one 4. The staff (or volunteers?) who greeted us were very friendly and helpful. They asked if there was anything specifically that we wanted to see and pointed us in the right direction.
The entrance area was clean, well laid out and had a real buzz about the place which I don't think we expected.
We were absolutely flabbergasted at the sheer size of the arboretum and the number of memorials.
We were lucky enough to see the Royal Military Police veterans and serving officers on parade.
This, for our sons, was good as it made them ask questions, not only about the parade but also about the memorials and their importance.
The arboretum was incredibly peaceful despite being reasonably busy.
There were activities available for children and a play area.
Our only disappointments of e day were that the armed forces memorial was not open as work was being done on it and we would have liked to have seen a single police memorial at the end of "the beat". This is of course a personal preference.
All four of us thoroughly enjoyed our visit and by taking our children they hopefully will contribute to keeping the memory of those who have lost their lives alive in the future.
We are going to return, without the kids, purely because we didn't manage to see everything!
It is free to visit the arboretum, £3 for parking. They ask for donations and we willingly donated as I'm sure most people who visit do.
The entrance area was clean, well laid out and had a real buzz about the place which I don't think we expected.
We were absolutely flabbergasted at the sheer size of the arboretum and the number of memorials.
We were lucky enough to see the Royal Military Police veterans and serving officers on parade.
This, for our sons, was good as it made them ask questions, not only about the parade but also about the memorials and their importance.
The arboretum was incredibly peaceful despite being reasonably busy.
There were activities available for children and a play area.
Our only disappointments of e day were that the armed forces memorial was not open as work was being done on it and we would have liked to have seen a single police memorial at the end of "the beat". This is of course a personal preference.
All four of us thoroughly enjoyed our visit and by taking our children they hopefully will contribute to keeping the memory of those who have lost their lives alive in the future.
We are going to return, without the kids, purely because we didn't manage to see everything!
It is free to visit the arboretum, £3 for parking. They ask for donations and we willingly donated as I'm sure most people who visit do.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
What a brilliant place to visit,went yesterday and the sun was shining which always helps.i expected this to be a very sad place to visit but it wasn't at all apart from the widow section which nearly made all 6 of us cry.We used the train to get an informed trip around the monuments this takes about 45 minutes and is well worth it.There is so much to see,we were disappointed the main monument wasn't open as they are working on this but we plan to go back in November when it's meant to reopen.The food was very good and reasonably priced,nice little gift shop.Entry is free then you give a donation when you enter the building this is done very discreetly by putting your donation in an envelope then putting in a box.The toilets were nice and clean.Something for everyone , would definitely recommend you to visit here and I will be returning.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
The National Memorial Arboretum is much more than just memorials, it a place to wonder and be amazed of the whole site and how well it is looked after, the landscape is wonderful. The new visitors centre offers a new attraction as well, we thought it was just for military but lots of public organisations are remembered and depicted there. The tranquil settings are superb, either on foot or by the road train. The guides, who are all volunteers are very knowledgeable and can tell you a lot of history
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
What a great place to be so many brave people and animals gave all . A very moving visit so mutch to see and do i will never forget this visit and will go again in better weather it has a nice cafe and shop toilets were clean cafe was nice ..
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Lovely place to visit..try and go when the sun is out :) nice food and drink also.managed to park okay,helpful and friendly staff.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
I wasn't sure how I was going to feel at the Arboretum- whether i would find it a sad place to be? It was so uplifting and I've been again since. Yes it's a reminder of the lives lost but also of sacrifices made by all nationalities. The train around the park is excellent value as there is a recorded commentary playing en route. You can then return to the sites of most interest. The Burmese section is very moving indeed. I last went for the Ride to the Wall where the Arboretum was full of bikers raising money for it's upkeep.Again another moving experience.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
I went here with my husband and 11 year old son. We all really enjoyed it and it was a lovely day out. The volunteers in the family activity tent were very welcoming and showed my son how to make a boat from paper. There was lots of cheap and easy ways to get around other than walking. The memorials were very well beautifully laid out. I would definitely recommend a visit.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
The National Memorial Arboretum takes a long t I've to get around, so allow 2-3 hours for a visit. There are good toilets, rest facilities and a nice cafe so everyone is well catered for. The memorial itself is so very moving and well designed, with road trains for anyone who wants transport around the venue and plenty of space so people visiting special memories can be alone. The "Shot at Dawn" memorial is one example of a very moving tribute to those shot by their colleagues for desertion, etc. Pardoned in 2006, this moving statue and posts bearing the names of those who were shot stimulates a lot of discussion. I watched a family sit on the bench and discuss very deep issues which the memorial brought out. It was very touching indeed.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Wow, what an interesting day out. Amazing place. So many memorials to so many military units, groups, clubs, associations. Did the train ride in morning and booked the buggy tour in afternoon, so much to see, do it all if you can.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Wounderful place to visit well laid out and with memory to the fallen and present . Interesting presentation information on the trail while taken round to all the different mamorials .
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Wanted to visit for a long time so very pleased we finally got there. Beautiful grounds which are well kept. The most amazing memorials and tributes to many of the services. Great train ride and would recommend. Lovely food and drinks in the cafe and well informed and polite staff. Only downside was the work being done and I understand this is essential but still plenty to see elsewhere.
If you've never been before go to the chapel for the short service at 11am every day and go on the train first for a tour so you know where everything is then you can walk round at leisure and see all the memorials
If you've never been before go to the chapel for the short service at 11am every day and go on the train first for a tour so you know where everything is then you can walk round at leisure and see all the memorials
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
So much bigger than we anticipated and a lovely spot. It is a good deal of walking, but the paths are well maintained and there were lots of wheelchairs and mobility scooters getting around. They are doing a lot of work and new exhibits are opening soon, but don't wait. It is lovely now.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
It is hard to believe that this is less than 20 years old, since it already houses hundreds of memorials. When the trees have grown and even more features are added it will be quite exceptional.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
It is quite sometime since I visited the beautiful, well planted, well maintained and well set our memorial. So much to see and as you walk around there is an awesome sense of quietness, respect, gratitude and so many emotional thoughts running round my head.. I visited with my grandchildren who took everything in. The whole place speaks for itself. Seeing the wall where the names of soldiers who had lost their lives were carved into the stone was soooo very moving I began to cry. A beautiful way to spend a few hours
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
What a peaceful tranquil place, took the kids who found it very educational. Only walked around half the grounds as the kids wanted to get home and start researching about the family then go back an trace them if possible. Looking forward to going back on more than one occasion.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Excellent informative staff who all show a genuine interest. The grounds are kept exceptionally well; a place that everyone should visit - glad we did.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
My grandfather was in the army during WW2 but we don't have any other friends or family that are in the services however I still found the National Memorial Arboretum extremely emotional and moving - by the time we got to the huge curved white walls I was in floods of tears. Its a good place to go and meditate on your mortality and thank all those that have put their lives on the line for us. Its very educational as well.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
So much to see, good shoes, camera and a bottle of water required. Guide book is excellent. Restaurant can be very busy. Only down was the shop was expensive.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Visited on beautiful day. We didn't know what to expect and were very surprised!! This is the most wonderful place to commemorate the men and women who gave their lives for us. We took the little train (£5 each for 50 minutes) first so that we could get our bearings! It was worth it! We then walked for several hours amongst the amazing memorials. Please come to this place! Access is free but parking is £3 plus you are expected to make a donation.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
The Arboretum covers a huge area and is also bordered by a River for riverside walks. The area is still in it's infancy so many of the trees are still quite small.
The Memorials commemorate the military and civilian services and are immaculate with interesting and thoughtful sculptures on display.
There are plenty of places to eat and drink and a gift shop.
A whole day is required to see most of the park, but we were pushed for time and opted for a guided tour on a park trailer bus, which was very interesting and well worth the £5 charge, especially as there is no entry fee to the park, though you are encouraged to make a donation.
The Memorials commemorate the military and civilian services and are immaculate with interesting and thoughtful sculptures on display.
There are plenty of places to eat and drink and a gift shop.
A whole day is required to see most of the park, but we were pushed for time and opted for a guided tour on a park trailer bus, which was very interesting and well worth the £5 charge, especially as there is no entry fee to the park, though you are encouraged to make a donation.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
