Have wanted to visit for a long time as there are regular items on our local BBC news about the NMA. Visiting on a misty November day just after Armistice Day gave an added poignancy as there were lots of poppies and wreaths, often dedicated to individuals. Despite the wet ground it was possible to view the major memorials at close quarters pushing a wheelchair even around the mound which rises so gradually it is hardly noticeable. However, we will definitely need to go back to see it all, without the wheelchair user. The most moving memorials were, in my opinion, to the men shot for cowardice and desertion in WW1, the Basra Wall and the main memorial naming those who died since the end of WW2.
It was very busy when we went and the main car park was full so we had to use the overflow car park which has deep gravel and not suitable for wheelchairs.
The cafe was packed at midday so we decided to wait...by that time there was no hot food left except one variety of soup.
If you want to have detailed information about the monuments the guidebook is over £6. A leaflet with a plan seemed very expensive at £3.50, especially as the key is by number of memorial and not alphabetical.

My husband and I attended the Armistice Day Service this year, which was a moving experience.
Tickets were available free of charge (there is a suggested donation of £5 per person for anyone visiting the Arboretum as well as a £3 parking charge) and allocated to applicants from the website, I am not sure if it was first come, first served or on a lottery basis.
The aboretum is fairly large and many of the memorials are on grassed areas without paths leading to them so, because the weather was so wet when we were there, we did not see as much as we would have liked, the lawns were already getting very churned up and we dd not want to add to the damage being caused. We would have preferred there to be more pathways, which would also help wheelchair users to access more of the memorials.
The Armed Forces Memorial itself is striking, particularly the huge blank wall which sadly we know will eventually become filled with the names of those who die in service to our country.
We were very pleased to see the school groups who were visiting, it should be part of all schools visit plans.

So much to see in 1 day the whole place is very well organised. The staff friendly and helpful i'm going to keep this short as the day could not be improved on. To the few people on here who rated it terrible / poor these people gave there live's for YOUR freedom. God bless them all.

The National Arboretum was designed to commemorate all those who have lost their lives in defence of our country and it's values. In addition to the three Armed Services there are memorials to those who served in the civilian services such as the Fire Brigades, Police, Land Army etc. it is a large site and you need to allow plenty of time for your visit. You may want to use the small train to enable you to see all the places of interest. There is a very good restaurant serving a full range of refreshments at reasonable prices. Most of the staff are volunteers. There is no charge for admission but you should make a donation to the Royal British Legion which maintains the site.each day there is a short service of Remembrance at 11.00am

Because it was Remembrance Sunday the traffic to the Arboretum was very heavy but the parking was well organised.
After the service, which we attended, we strolled around comfortably despite the large numbers visiting.
We were very impressed with the layout and the staff in attendance were very helpful.
Well worth a visit........it is an outstanding memorial to those who have fought for freedom!!

We had been meaning to visit for some time so thought it would be a good idea to go at this time of year. It is a very moving place. Lots of wreaths were around the different memorials.
We will go back in the Summer as so much to see and in lovely grounds. We will make sure we arrive before 11 so there for the introduction talk and silence.

To visit it is easy to find and just a voluntary contribution if you feel inclined, it is a very large place so intend to spend a fair amount of time there, there is a cafe come restaurant on site to feed you with plenty of choices, should you also feel the need
There is a buggy that can take you around the site ,so not sure if you have to pre book it and if there is a cost
It is very well kept there and emotional as well when you see what happened in the past
If your around there or going past it then pay a visit

We attended the Armistice Day commemoration as we were lucky enough to get tickets. Despite the weather it was a fantastic experience and very well organised.

The NMA itself is a wonderful place, beautifully laid out and hugely sympathetic.

Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to see everything, but the areas we did visit really did justice to the memory of those that have fallen.

Do yourself a favour and make sure you go at some point - it makes you humble and thankful for what we have as a result of those that gave so much

Easy access and good information on arrival. We were made to feel very welcome by the volunteers who met our coach at the door. I arranged for our NADFAS group to visit and we did the 1 hour Land Train tour of the extensive grounds which has a good and clear comentary. We found the visit inspiring and came away with sobering memories of all those brave people who gave their lives for us. There is an easy to use self service cafe with plenty of seating both inside and out. Well worth a visit.

It is difficult to put into words the best way to describe The NMA as it means different things to different people.

As a veteran of the Falklands Conflict, there is a wonderful memorial that I visit every time, as well as the individual ships ones to pay my respects to the 258 who lost thier lives in the liberation of the islands.

There are, however, many more individual and group memorials that really bring to light the ultimate sacrifice that many have given in the line of whatever duty it was that was their calling.

Perfectly placed in the middle of the country, it is well worth making a weekend of it as you may need plenty of time to really appreciate the venue.

They also do a great Sunday Roast Dinner Carvery!

We visited the Memorial on the 8th and 9th of November. What a memorable weekend. The arboretum is the most amazing, beautiful and thought provoking place. The detail that has gone into the whole project is incredible. The Rememberance service was unforgettable. Beautiful grounds. Lovely gift shop. Good eating facilities. An unmissable experience.

This is a place we had planned to visit for some time and I was surprised how vast an area the Arboretum covers. The main memorial left me speechless. It is very humbling to look at all the names on the wall and realise the number of servicemen who have given their lives to protecting the lives of others since the Second World War. The gardens are beautifully maintained and there are very many monuments both military and civilian all of which are worthy of note. I was particularly moved by the 'Shot at Dawn' monument to all those who were shot for deserting their post. The river runs alongside the Arboretum and there is a lovely walk along here. They were planting bluebells whilst we visited and we bought and planted some which will form a bluebell wood next year. There is a café which serves very good food and a shop selling memorabilia. The Arboretum is well worth a visit but put aside a few hours as there is a lot to see and it is a large area. The car park is £3 but entrance is free although donations are encouraged.

Very memorable visit along with 4,998 other visitors. Service was very emotional for the young as well as the old

The National Memorial Arboretum is one of those venues that you must really put onto your list of things to see. This place really is a living memorial with an abundance of both civilian and military monuments. The grounds look spectacular with such an array of different trees and shrubs. Please make the effort to try and visit, you will not be disappointed.

Its hard to find the words to describe this place. Nothing can prepare you for how breath taking it actually is or how vast it is either. Whether you know some who has served or not this place is definitely worth visiting, I am so glad I did, even though the day was a bit dank it add to the whole ambience. I came away feeling ever so humble.

What a amazing place it makes you think of all these people and what they did for us and so much more as well like the place for the still born children .as I have been through this my daughter lost her first baby in a car accident an he was still born it was a very moving place for me .my partner a retired police officer also new work colleagues there on the beat very moving keep it up a lovely place to remember .

You could spend the whole day wandering around the amazing grounds. Make sure you wear comfy footwear and warm clothing - the site is very exposed and we got cold very quickly. There are loads of places to sit, rest and reflect therefore a flask of tea and some biscuits are essential.

This place is truly a fitting memorial for those who have given their lives, their liberty or their health for our country. Wherever one walks or looks there are wonderful tributes to our fallen. This place is one that every true Briton must visit at least once in their lifetime to spend even a little while remembering, and vowing ... 'Never again!'

The first thing that hits you is the wide open space and how the memorials are laid out allowing both visual acceptance and dignity. Then the absolute peace and quiet irrespective of the number of people visiting. This was our 2nd visit to the site and we wanted to see new The Land Girls memorial which is a wonderful tribute to these very brave young ladies. We wandered along the numerous paths reading inscriptions and thinking of those who had sacrificed so much. Although my husband found the visit very emotional we will definitely return.

what a fitting memorial to heroes from all walks of life.
This place is well worth a visit.
The arboretum is well maintained and all the volunteers are friendly and know
Knowledgeable.
I would highly recommend a visit.

I had to place this as an attraction, to some it may well be, but it is far more.

We have family in Staffordshire, so it is convenient for us to visit, and we have visited on several occasions. Each time we call, something has changed, or added.

The central Memorial is well elevated in the centre of the Arboretum, and looks impressive, both from a distance, and actually on the top. Access is by steps or a spiral path.It would be a very hard heart that wasn't touched by all the names of our service personnel who have been 'lost' in the many conflicts over the years. You may have family listed. Do your research before you go.

There are different areas, dedicated to the different services, and more recently, as is so right and proper, the Civilian Organisations that gave their services. Each has its own planting and memorial or Monument.we have visited since shortly after the opening, and have seen the trees growing, gardens developing, and new areas - recently the Land Army was recognised.

There is a generous car park with a Disabled parking area. Parking was free to the disabled but the last time we visited there was a charge for the more able. If you phone ahead of your visit, you may reserve a Mobility Scooter for a nominal fee. There is a cafe, toilets, and gift shop.

I would recommend a visit to everyone, and if you would like to know more, the web site is:-
www.thenma.org.uk.

Enjoy your visit.

A place to see as words cannot convey what a peaceful and interesting place it is. Many different events and organisations represented not all military.

Amazing and thought provoking - always developing and definitely worth a visit - whether or not you have connection to forces

We woke up last Sunday it was pelting it down but by 09:00 there was a break in the rain, so we decided to go here for a visit, it's not that far away from where we live.
Parking costs £3 for all day, and believe me you'll need all day to get around all of the memorials.
We attended the chapel service at 11:00 am where we paid our respects and the two minute silence is respected there every day of the year.
I'm not good on my legs so we caught the train that takes you around some of the memorials, the trip is around 50 minutes and costs £5 each person, but you have to buy your tickets before you can go on the train, you can't pay when you get on the train. There's also golf type buggies that you can pay to have a guided tour or pay for a walking guided tour.
We didn't know what to expect when we arrived at the memorial and a big surprise was its not just military memorials there, lots of trees and gardens, peace and quiet so you can sit and think.
I won't mention what memorials are there I'll leave that to you to find them, it certainly makes you think about things. It's not a grave yard like the one in America where this idea came from, neither is it The Somme or auschwitz, where you know that people lost their lives, just reading about those two places could make you weep, its The National Memorial Arboretum, bang in the centre of our country, if this wasn't here, there's no where else in our country or many other countries like this.

We were told that there is to be an injection of funds, they are knocking all of the buildings down apart from The Chapel, building new ones fit for purpose, the visitor numbers have gone up from 60,000 to 300,000. There are new memorials planned too.
You can get something to eat and drink there, there's a cafe indoors plus a marquee outside.
There's a shop selling things to do with the Arboretum, poppies, pens, mugs, ect ect.
There's no admission price, you make a donation in the boxes provided, were were told that it costs £4,000 a day to run the Arboretum, that equates to a cost of £6 for each visitor, bear this in mind when you do put your hand in your pocket to donate.
A visit here certainly is food for thought and for some people it could be very emotional.

150 acres 300 memorials and not enough time. Car parking £3 for all day. Free entry but a suggested donation of £5
Dogs not allowed through the main area but there is a great walk footpath around the outside with still loads to see and read
The place is so well kept with loads of guides on hand a road train to take people about expect to be a minimum of 3-4 hours there's toilets shop and restaurant
We will be going back to see more