National Memorial Arboretum
Latest Reviews
I went to NMA with my father. We both served in the Army so thought we would spend some time in remembrance and also enjoy the location.
Although it is a place of remembrance it is also a peaceful and enjoyable walk where you can take time to enjoy the surroundings.
There are volunteers at most of the area's to discuss the history of the NMA and the memorials. They are all helpful and happy.
As an ex-serviceman this place is essential in that we need somewhere to go and remember those that have made the ultimate sacrifice. No matter of service, Corps or regiment. As a human being it is a poignant place. A humbling place. Powerful and peaceful.
Although it is a place of remembrance it is also a peaceful and enjoyable walk where you can take time to enjoy the surroundings.
There are volunteers at most of the area's to discuss the history of the NMA and the memorials. They are all helpful and happy.
As an ex-serviceman this place is essential in that we need somewhere to go and remember those that have made the ultimate sacrifice. No matter of service, Corps or regiment. As a human being it is a poignant place. A humbling place. Powerful and peaceful.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Very warming place to go. It poured down with rain the day we were there. That did not distract in any way, although we did get wet. We jumped on the train for the 50 minute ride through the 170 acres and the commentary was both informative and precise. We then walked up to the main monument in perfect sunshine and the warmth it portrays is goose-pimply. We were given a talk about the site by a guy named Roger. This took place in the wooden chapel and is well worth the time taken. The entry is free apart from a small charge to park your car. We bought other things such as keepsakes but there is no pressure to purchase anything more. The food hall is reasonable and serves fairly decent food. A visit we would not have missed and we will probably visit again.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
On the negative side, Whoever thought that using small pebbles laid deep for the overflow car park that the elderly and disabled have to walk through was sensible - got it wrong. The toilets in the cafe had the hand dryers above the grille radiators meaning that there was always water dripping into them. The self service cafe is poorly laid out, lines of self service coffee machines do not improve customer flow especially when you have to jockey for position in a queue and someone is stood beside trying to get a coffee.
Bit disappointed that the grass around the memorials in the Naval Wood was so long that it took ages to find what I went for.
On the plus side, the staff are efficient and friendly and the majority of the memorials are easy to find and well maintained.
Bit disappointed that the grass around the memorials in the Naval Wood was so long that it took ages to find what I went for.
On the plus side, the staff are efficient and friendly and the majority of the memorials are easy to find and well maintained.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
I would hope that everyone, at some time, would visit this fantastic attraction. Our group visited yesterday and I cant find words to say how wonderful it was. The train ride enabled us to see the far flung memorials.. The only pity is that you can't alight and then rejoin another train but this is quite understandable as the train is so very popular (next time for me is a buggy ride). Couldn't get into the chaple for the two minutes silence 'cos it was too ful but visited afterwards and it's so interesting. The whole site puts into perspective the sacrifices many peoples and nations made to overcome adversity and struggles of Great Britain. I wanted to visit the Shot at Dawn memorial but it's a fairly long walk and it was so hot so I didn't make it. Everyone says it's moving so that's where I'm going first on my next visit. The service and the food in the resturant was excellent. What an incredable place to visit. I really do urge everyone to go for a super day out.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Great and unique place where many war memorials are exhibited. Tea shop (marquee) and cafe available. Food prices reasonable. Full meals and snacks served. Peaceful and beautiful location. many wars represented. All services represented. I would allow at least 3 hours for visit. Much of the walking around is on paths, however there is a tree walk which, if it has rained might be a bit muddy. Accessible for much of the site for buggies and wheelchairs. large car park with overflow just down the road (you need to pay at the main desk if parking on the overflow as no ticket machines are there).
Interesting information available in front of each memorial. There is a guide book available (approx £3.00)
Interesting information available in front of each memorial. There is a guide book available (approx £3.00)
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
What a wonderful experience our group enjoyed today from the last post and two minutes silence, right through the whole day. A 'must' ride on the train takes you around the site on a 50 minute tour accompanied by a very comprehensive commentar, hi lighting the majority of the memorials, sometimes with appropriate music.. Prior to this, 10 minutes spent with the map, deciding which monuments have meaning for you and orientatating yourself before starting off to find them. Just discovering the various monuments in between is a delight - names and events you remember from childhood come alive as you walk around the arboretum or just sit quietly in the oak wood and appreciate being surrounded by recent history. This is not a morbid place, but is full of life, telling the story of our great country, it's struggles and it's allies who rallied around to help in time of conflict and shows the huge variety of people and occupations who added their contribution and continue to do so.
The one remarkable fact that I brought away with me from today is that everything on the site has a symbolic reason to be there. The 12 Douglas pines supporting the chapel roof represent the Apostles, the angle of the rock at the WRAC memorial is ground to the exact angle that the guns were fired at and the symbolism goes on throughout the site.......a wonderful experience!
The pre-booked group lunch was excellent too!
The one remarkable fact that I brought away with me from today is that everything on the site has a symbolic reason to be there. The 12 Douglas pines supporting the chapel roof represent the Apostles, the angle of the rock at the WRAC memorial is ground to the exact angle that the guns were fired at and the symbolism goes on throughout the site.......a wonderful experience!
The pre-booked group lunch was excellent too!
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
A very interesting place to visit. Hadn't realised there was such a diversity of memorials. I'd assumed it was all military. Certainly worth buying a guide book to get info and to decide where you want to visit. Shot at Dawn is particularly poignant.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
The national memorial arboretum stands in what was a quarry site and the land is rented on a peppercorn rate for 999 years. The site is vast so a land train is available to ensure you can see the whole site, a note of caution once you get off the train you cannot get back on so you have to make your own way back. The number of memorials to all armed forces and contributors to our national security is amazing. The main memorial showing all the names of those killed in service since 1945 is well positioned and stands raised as a centre piece. The guide may seem expensive at £6.50 but is very comprehensive and can save a lot of time if looking for specific memorials. There are plenty areas for refreshments and a number of areas to sit and reflect. This memorial survives on contributions so please give generously when you are there.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Nice and quiet gardens all very well kept, nice tea room and cakes available also.
Good place to get away and walk around for a couple of hours in a peaceful setting, monuments to the fallen are very interesting to look at.
Good place to get away and walk around for a couple of hours in a peaceful setting, monuments to the fallen are very interesting to look at.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
I knew nothing about this pace before we went. We went because my husband had read about it. I was completely bowled over by the vastness of it as soon as we went in. It has been respectfully designed and is so well looked after. The care and dedication taken to remember all those who have given for the right to live in a democracy is awe inspiring. I felt truly humbled throughout my visit. We were there for 5 hours and wish we had arrived earlier as we only saw just over half. I will most certainly make the effort to go again when I get the chance. The only charge is £3 for the car park, yet it takes nearly £4000 every day to keep the place open. If you are disabled or find it hard to get around no worries are there are wheelchairs available (including electric ones) or you can get the land train around the site which has a running commentary ( we didn't use it but I over heard someone saying it was good value for the £5 charge).
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
This was our second visit to the Arboretum. It is a wonderful place to walk and show respect to those who are listed on the main Armed Forces Memorial. The individual memorials are placed throughout the site so be ready to do a lot of walking. Make sure you buy the guide book, it is full of useful information. If you have mobility problems there is a land train and golf buggies to assist you.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
There is no admission charge to go around the arboretum but you need to pay and display £3.00 in the car park.
We arrived quite late (15:30 and it closes at 17:00) so we only had time to quickly hop on the land train which takes you on a sedate 50 minute tour around the grounds. This was a life-saver as without it, we wouldn't have seen much of the arboretum at all as it's a massive site. The audio commentary on the train tells you exactly where to look and what you are looking at.
The grounds are covered with different memorials to different sections of the forces and the thought that has gone into planting the different types of trees surrounding each one is outstanding. You can get off the train at various points to explore the memorials in more detail.
We then visited the well-stocked gift shop but didn't get time to stop for any refreshments. There were some kiosks outside as well selling ice-cream and drinks. Toilets were fine.
We will probably be back at some point in the future and will pre-plan our visit and what we want to see, as this seems like the best way to do it.
We arrived quite late (15:30 and it closes at 17:00) so we only had time to quickly hop on the land train which takes you on a sedate 50 minute tour around the grounds. This was a life-saver as without it, we wouldn't have seen much of the arboretum at all as it's a massive site. The audio commentary on the train tells you exactly where to look and what you are looking at.
The grounds are covered with different memorials to different sections of the forces and the thought that has gone into planting the different types of trees surrounding each one is outstanding. You can get off the train at various points to explore the memorials in more detail.
We then visited the well-stocked gift shop but didn't get time to stop for any refreshments. There were some kiosks outside as well selling ice-cream and drinks. Toilets were fine.
We will probably be back at some point in the future and will pre-plan our visit and what we want to see, as this seems like the best way to do it.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
We have just spent an afternoon followed by a morning in the NMA. This is one of the most extraordinary places we've ever visited in Britain. The warmth of the welcome from the army of yellow shirted volunteers is exceptional and the guides are reservoirs of information and fascinating anecdotes. We loved everything about this place. It gets the tone just right. It is neither triumphalistic nor polemical, just decent and dignified. There is space here for everybody - from the mighty red berets with their winged horse through to the terrified boys shot at dawn for 'cowardice', from the showmen who served in the armed forces, remembered by a gaudy little carousel horse, through to the prisoners of war whose raw memories of their brutal treatment by the Japanese is brought back to life in the replica hut. The soldiers who fought in Greece have their own Hellenic grove and a heartfelt plaque recalling how their contribution was marginalised and the Royal Navy has a wonderful memorial in coloured glass which casts the shadow of a warship on the ground. This holy ground is alive with memory and thankfulness, sorrow and admiration for the sacrifices of so many human beings caught up in the maelstrom of horrible conflicts. We wandered about this huge area of trees and open spaces learning about veterans' societies we never knew existed but all leaving their mark in special ways, through stones, marble, wood and glass. For people like us, who have known a similar loss, the memorial garden to stillborn children was a sanctuary to spend some time together. A lovely Jewish custom of leaving stones on graves is given a new lease of life with the brightly coloured pebbles on the sides of the pathways painted with the names of children who died asleep. The huge and beautiful raised central memorial with the names of over 16,500 members of the armed forces who gave their lives since the Second World War is a magnificent centrepiece and an unforgettable tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for us all.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Take me, Adam, Hayley, Grandad and two dogs and send us to a place for reflection.
There was a lovely walk just for dogs (and owners) so after 5 mins we (me and Adam) left Hayley and Grandad to continue on that route as we visited the memorials. The main sculpture wall was beautiful, moving and had fantastic views. We also saw the POW exhibition which had me in tears, the information was well written and factual - brutal and cruel. The grounds were immaculate and whole place had a real air of something between happiness, pride and reflection.
Meanwhile Grandad had taken a wrong turn with the dogs and ended up in the cafe with Hayley and the two dogs. The staff didn't get upset, although they had every right to, instead they happily helped them escape to the right path.
The empty marble walls, ready for the stonemasons chisel to carve the names of future war casualties, is an image i will not quickly forget.
There was a lovely walk just for dogs (and owners) so after 5 mins we (me and Adam) left Hayley and Grandad to continue on that route as we visited the memorials. The main sculpture wall was beautiful, moving and had fantastic views. We also saw the POW exhibition which had me in tears, the information was well written and factual - brutal and cruel. The grounds were immaculate and whole place had a real air of something between happiness, pride and reflection.
Meanwhile Grandad had taken a wrong turn with the dogs and ended up in the cafe with Hayley and the two dogs. The staff didn't get upset, although they had every right to, instead they happily helped them escape to the right path.
The empty marble walls, ready for the stonemasons chisel to carve the names of future war casualties, is an image i will not quickly forget.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Both having served in the Royal Navy, my husband and I were very keen to visit the Arboretum. We were not disappointed. We had been told to buy the Guide book, which is full of useful information and the stories behind the memorials. We knew we couldn't see everything so we had a light lunch in the restaurant and studied the map. Having decided what we wished to see we visited the main war memorial, which was very impressive. Sadly my husband spotted several colleague's names etched into the stone walls. The memorial gives a good vantage point of the area, so we could get our bearings. On this visit we concentrated on the RN and WRNS memorials. The new Naval Memorial is far more impressive than it looks in photographs, particularly as the sun came out, shining through the blue plates giving a shadow of a warship on the ground.
We will try and revisit sometime. Since reading the guidebook thoroughly later, we have identified other areas we should like to see.
For those who find it difficult to walk there is a train which runs regularly around the grounds giving a commentary and plenty of wheelchair access.
This is a memorial which can only get better with time as the trees mature.
We will try and revisit sometime. Since reading the guidebook thoroughly later, we have identified other areas we should like to see.
For those who find it difficult to walk there is a train which runs regularly around the grounds giving a commentary and plenty of wheelchair access.
This is a memorial which can only get better with time as the trees mature.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
This was our first visit since 2010, coincidentally both on the 9th July. Since our last visit there is now a hard standing car park which is a very modest £3 per day. There is no admission fee to pay as most of the staff are volunteers. When you approach the entrance there is a greeter to meet you and give you any advice on where to go. Maps and a colour brochure/guide are available in the reception. We had a good walk around seeing the new memorials that have been set up since our last visit. We also had lunch in the cafeteria which was excellent and quite good value for this type of venue, all proceeds going towards the upkeep. This place should be a required visit for all schoolchildren so they understand what sacrifices have been made by our troops in the past to preserve our freedom.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
This was a nice day out, because it was a gloriously sunny day. However, there wasn't a lot of information about the individual memorials which is quite disappointing.
There's a lot more that they could do here, to make it more interesting for people who are perhaps going with not a great deal of information, and a map would be a really nice extra, as it's easy to get lost and difficult to find certain memorials if you were going for something in particular.
The restaurant didn't have a lot of warm vegetarian options as well which was quite disappointing.
There's a lot more that they could do here, to make it more interesting for people who are perhaps going with not a great deal of information, and a map would be a really nice extra, as it's easy to get lost and difficult to find certain memorials if you were going for something in particular.
The restaurant didn't have a lot of warm vegetarian options as well which was quite disappointing.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
What a lovely place to visit. The grounds were beautiful and a lot of thought has been put into the arboretum and the reason behind it. The staff were informative. We popped into the coffee shop for a lovely tea and cake. Beautiful
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Fabulous place to visit, especially if you have a connection to one of the many memorial gardens here. The grounds are immaculately kept and the static displays situated around the place are moving and interesting in their storytelling. Very moving to see the 1000's of tributes to fallen servicemen and women and also in some of the civilian gardens. Definitely worth visiting if you are in the area. Admission is free but I am sure after leaving any visitor would wish to make a donation.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Set in really beautiful and tranquil surroundings the memorials are inspirational to young and old alike. and each time we have been more have been added.
We find that riding around the grounds on the little train is a good way to see most of the monuments and to hear the history of each one.
After the ride we then know where to go back to to see any significant memorial we wish to view, in detail.
The restaurant serves a good and varied menu and a small gift shop is there if you want a memento of your visit.
We went on Saturday 5th July and were lucky to be able to join in the annual celebrations organised by the Royal Artillery Association.
Plus the sun shone all day. Wonderful !!!
We find that riding around the grounds on the little train is a good way to see most of the monuments and to hear the history of each one.
After the ride we then know where to go back to to see any significant memorial we wish to view, in detail.
The restaurant serves a good and varied menu and a small gift shop is there if you want a memento of your visit.
We went on Saturday 5th July and were lucky to be able to join in the annual celebrations organised by the Royal Artillery Association.
Plus the sun shone all day. Wonderful !!!
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Great place to spend time. Not only to reflect but to learn, the memorials here are inspirational. The cafe/restaurant serves great food from fantastic full english breakfast to Sunday Carvery. You just get lost wandering and reading the dedications and end up eating a great meal. Fantastic day.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
A really lovely day out. Very interesting & humbling. Far bigger than expected. You do really need to make it a days visit. We also went on the little train that goes around. I think this was a good idea as you get to see more & you learn about the different monuments.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
I had never heard of the place, but how amazing was it, such a surprise. Seeing all the names of the people that had lost their lives in all the wars, right up until present day. A very moving place. No entrance fee, but £3 for parking. There is a restaurant although we didn't try it, also a gift shop and toilets.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
We didn't know what to expect when we visited here recently but the place is very well planned, the walks are beautiful and the memorials are very moving and poignant.
You can wander freely around the place, in between beautiful wooded areas, paths and the various memorials.
The central monument is extremely moving.
What I can't believe though, is how anyone can mark this as average or below... You're missing the whole point of the place!!!
You can wander freely around the place, in between beautiful wooded areas, paths and the various memorials.
The central monument is extremely moving.
What I can't believe though, is how anyone can mark this as average or below... You're missing the whole point of the place!!!
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
I visited the arboretum together with a group of senior British Legion members, and we had a good day, but there are some areas that could be improved. The memorials are very moving - and the whole site, as the trees grow up, can only grow more imposing. As it is mainly staffed by volunteers, coordinating the services must be tricky, but I would suggest not charging for the site map, ensuing that all senior visitors are made aware of the availability of scooters/golf buggies on admission - one or two of our party saw very little as the became aware of the golf buggy services too late. Also perhaps a board near the entrance showing the program of talks for the day, and perhaps a dedicated train for those with blue badges to get them from talk to talk? The food was good, the facilities were spotless, and I'm sure, now we know the ropes, that we will be back.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
