This place is really worth visiting although expect to feel a little sad and overwhelmed by the sheer number of memorials and dedications which reminds you of so much suffering and tragedy.
The place itself is impressive, it's also free entry which is a surprise - and £3 to park.
It's best to walk round to fully appreciate and see everything although there is the 'land train' for those who need it. I was particularly pleased to see the museum and memorials to the far eastern prisoners of war as this is a part of the 2nd world war that so many people seem to know little about - there's even a part of the 'death railway' on display - this was so touching.
A worthwhile day.

We called in to have a picnic & to break a long journey having wanted to see the Arboretum for some years. It was very user friendly with good facilities & interesting guides. As the years progress it will become more & more impressive as the trees mature. The memorials remind us of just how much we continue to reap what others have sewn. It was a very moving experience. We shall certainly call again when passing that way.

I went the national arboretum in alrewas Staffordshire and what an amazing and very sad place it is to visit also very interesting as well there is plenty to see as well all the names on the great wall of all persons we have lost in the wars from all round the world there is plenty to see in lovely surroudings places to eat gift shops staff are helpful so go and visit and see for your selves

I visited yesterday with my parents and Aunty . It's a wonderful place of remembrance . A wreath laid by the wall made us all emotional . It was for a 21year old soldier killed last year in Afghan : it was from his three week old daughter he never met !!!
The whole area is worth a visit (using the train makes it easier) as every part of the arboretum is amazing and a real credit to everyone who works there .

A pleasant stroll through the wooded areas and a time to reflect on the wars and the young men and women who have given their lives for their country. Interesting memorials to wars in Burma and the far east.
Less impressed with some of the individual memorials without any evidence of serving their country but my overall impression was very interesting and well worth a visit.

We have only limited connections to forces but found time to make a short visit to this excellent and well thought out memorial to all servicemen lost since 1946. The staff there are so helpful with explanations of the main memorial and how the rest of the site is laid out. The one link we had was to the sinking of the Royal Oak in 1939. The member of staff on the main memorial took the time to radio back and located a memorial in he Royal Navy area, which we found thanks to excellent instruction. Nothing seemed too much trouble. We'll go back for sure as we didn't have enough time to do all we wanted and over the years as the trees grow it will feel like a different place, even visiting in different seasons as we live less than 20 miles away.

what a beautiful place. husband wasn't in the best frame of mind for this visit so we didn't stay as long as I would have liked. Wide open space with personal and national monuments dotted all around.
There is a train for the less fit. I will definitely visit here again but be a bit more organised

Third visit here and it keeps growing and evolving .A lovely place to spend an hour or a day to remember and reflect .Nice resturant and tea shop

What a fantastic day, this is a place everyone should go visit whether you are a Forces Family or not. Volunteers are very helpful, guide books are fab, there is so much to see and lots to take in, need to make several trips to take it all in. Very touching.
There is no charge for entry to the Arboretum, a small fee for the car park. Donations are voluntary but when you see the work required to keep the Arboretum to the very high standard very few people will walk out without having put their hands in their pockets and left a Donation.

Visited for the August 2013 “Walk to the Wall”, a 10km guided walk around the grounds culminating in a climb to the Armed Forces Memorial that dominates the site. Elsewhere the woods and meadows are dotted with a wide array of memorials large and small – often for quite obscure organizations that have hitherto been overlooked. The “Wall” refers to the panels on the main Memorial where the post-WW2 dead of all services are named, year by year. Ominously (but probably prudently) there is plenty of wall space remaining for decades to come. The Arboretum holds many events each year, or you can just visit (free entry, £3 parking) when it’s quiet for the moving atmosphere.

What a beautiful place. It's the best and most respectful way to have a memorial for our fallen comrades.

Visit here and have a life changing experience. It's awe inspiring.

A lovely day out. Beautiful on a sunny day. Great photos and very moving. The only problems I found were: the entrance backs up on busy days and if there was maps there we weren't able to see them, in the gardens themselves we had no idea where the main memorials were and we missed seeing a few such as the basra wall and the shot at dawn garden.
You have to get a buggy up to the main arboretum if you have a pushchair or a wheelchair as there are only stairs up (a lot). I wonder if im the only person that wondered whyit was built like that.
The food in the cafe is, as we expected, expensive - £6.95 for meal of the day. I understand though that its free to get in (as it should be) and its fine to charge more for food I suppose.

A wonderful experience, would love to go again but it is a long way to travel. The volunteer helpers were so attentive

Spent 7hrs at Arboretum and still didn't see all memorials etc.Really makes you stop and think about all the lives that have been lost and remember the families of those people.Lovely gentleman one of the Friday helpers helped us locate the Memorial in Ulster Grove which remembers all those who lost their lives during The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Many thanks to him it was much appreciated , sorry cannot recall his name but he was born in Northern Ireland.Hope to come back again and will be recommending to friends that this place is somewhere to visit and share in remembering all the lost lives.

Everyone, old and young, should take time to visit the National Memorial Arboretum. The peace and tranquility make it the ideal place to remember that thousand's of men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country, whether in the forces, the police, fire service etc. It is free to enter but donations are very welcome to help maintain the premises. Car parking is only £3 for the full day and their are very good eating and cafe facilities.

A wonderful few hours spent here. Acres of grassland and beautiful trees with interspersed memorials. Full of people and with the riverside walk very much a living place. Only had to pay for carparking. Good eating facilities both inside and out, and for people bringing there own food. The chapel was a wonderful peaceful and simple place to visit.

As we only live 15 miles away it may be thought remiss that I have never visited the NMA yet, however, like all things local they are usually the last places we think to visit, in my case this and the fact that I wanted to come visit when it was well established is the excuse.
Turned up on a cloudy morning just after 11am and after parking the car in the car park (Free Parking) we made our way to the entrance and were greeted by a very friendly chap who enquired if we were looking to visit a particular area or just coming for a look around. We stated it was just a look see and he then proceeded to tell us a little about the site and what else was available, very informative. We entered and found the place to be quite busy we walked straight through the reception and restaurant/cafe area and outside again into the site.and after walking for about 10 minutes it becomes apparent that the site is quite huge. There was a small land train tour about to depart which I think costs about £5 per head but we decided to have a walk around the many areas and monuments which are spread all around the main centrepiece wall monument which is perched on a hill and always visible.
The overall impression is what a great place for remembrance of our fallen hero's and as such it's ideally located in the centre of the Country rather than down in the South East like most other such national assets.
If you are intending to visit just for a look around then I would suggest giving yourself ample time, 150 acres isn't achievable in a short space of time. If you have a specific reason to visit then speak with the volunteers they are knowledgeable and will point you in the right direction. There is sufficient refreshment areas available but there are also areas provided where you can eat your own food and drink in very pleasant and poignant surroundings. The shop also looked very good and obviously all the proceeds raised at the shop and refreshment places are used for the betterment of the site and facilities.
All the superlatives used in previous reviews are deserved and I shall visit again and probably regularly.

We have been aiming to visit this site for may years and joined upon a visit with kidderminster male voice choir, who gave excellent performances in the chapel during the day. We thought the trip around the site on the land train excellent with a very good narration about the memorials provided.A little dissapointed that we could not rejoin the train later if we alighted to see memorials off the route.,as it is long walk back.This is a problem for people who are less able.We will visit again as we wish to see more of this well run site of rememberance to the brave people who gave their lives for all of us.

Visited this beautiful site today and was deeply moved and humbled by it all. How anyone can object to paying a parking fee here really angers me when you think of all the gallant servicemen who have laid down there lives for this country. We felt sincere compassion for all those brave men and women. A big thank you to all the volunteers who help to maintain this site, thereby enabling us the public to pay our respects and honour to our fallen heroes. May they rest in peace and never be forgotten.

This fantastic National Memorial is a credit to our armed forces and uniformed service personnel and should be seen by us all at least once. It is a central point in the UK at which to acknowledge the lives lost in battle, campaigns and the line of duty both at home and abroad. Mobility issues are not a problem around the memorial with lots of staff and volunteers on hand, mobility scooters, a mini train with commentary and easy access everywhere Lets get behind this great initiative and support it by visiting and donating on line. There is a wide variety of gifts available, so if you can't visit just yet, this is a way you can still help with support.

My grandfather has paviour laid at the Arboretum.
Every time I go you have to sit back and be appreciative of the people who have lost their life's so we can live ours.
The facilities are great and a brilliant afternoon out.

well worth a visit good sized restaurant but the food is not very hot it gets cooler by the time you paid at the till best to go to the outside marque top up your drinks free .nice tea and cakes

Great day out .try go one a dry day take picnic ,and enjoy the memorials and the lovely walks .we didnt try the train,But got told to as it was a great experience.Myself and partner will be going again.

This is a very interesting and very moving place with, not unnaturally, a very obvious military focus.
Coming from a police background I was particularly interested in the police avenue and was very surprised at the lack of representation of individuals I had known personally of whom there was no reference.
The other surprise was the arboretum, while there of trees there are no labels as to what they are which is a little frustrating when finding an interesting tree, but are unable to find out what it is.
The land train was excellent a proved to be a most interesting and informative overview of much if the site.
Visitor services are very good and most impressive, all in all a great day out.

Whoever designed the layout got this spot on. It provokes all your thoughts and all your senses. The centre piece is to behold especially with the slit cut in the stone to allow a ray of sunlight to fall on the sculpture.
Befitting all our fallen men and women