Local Reviews
In September 2015, Edward H said about National Memorial Arboretum
Visited the Memorial after many months of having it on our wish list. Was pleased to find that the car park was free after reading that its was £3.00 to park. On enquiring was told that there was an honesty box for people to make a car park donation. Arrived in time for the 11 o'clock Last Post service in the Chapel when we given in insight into the best way to visit the various memorials. Purchased a guide book which was invaluable. Although being in our late 70's decided that we would walk rather than take the train and found no difficulty in getting around. Planned our tour so that we could be back to the restaurant for a bit of lunch, which was most enjoyable and reasonably priced. Continued our tour after lunch and following the guide book we found our way around. I particularly wanted to visit the memorial of the Regiment in which I served my National Service. I also wanted to find the name of a comrade who was later lost his life on active service. The Wall of Remembrance is impressive and very poignant and after a search found his name.
It is a place that I feel everybody should visit if only to see how so many people sacrificed their lives in order that we can live as we are today.
It is a place that I feel everybody should visit if only to see how so many people sacrificed their lives in order that we can live as we are today.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In August 2021, kirsty w said about National Memorial Arboretum
On Monday 2nd August 2021, We visited the National Memorial Arboretum as part of a Coach Holiday we were on.
We arrived at approx 945am & the staff allowed us in before it opened to the public at 10am so that they could get all 21 passengers processed through. We all decided to pay £7 each to take a trip on their land train which is a 45 minute journey with recorded commentary.
The journey round the gardens was extremely moving & they told you everything about each area we stopped at along the route. The only disappointing thing, they don't take you to the newly opened section which is dedicated to those who lost their lives in our Police Forces.
After the journey, 5 of us had a coffee in their lovely restaurant area, prices are very reasonable & we also visited their excellent gift shop, where we purchased some fab gifts for friends & family.
This isn't somewhere we would have thought to visit if it hadn't been for the 'industrial heritage tour' we were on. We are glad it was part of our tour as its definitely a place everyone needs to visit.
Highly recommend. 10/10
We arrived at approx 945am & the staff allowed us in before it opened to the public at 10am so that they could get all 21 passengers processed through. We all decided to pay £7 each to take a trip on their land train which is a 45 minute journey with recorded commentary.
The journey round the gardens was extremely moving & they told you everything about each area we stopped at along the route. The only disappointing thing, they don't take you to the newly opened section which is dedicated to those who lost their lives in our Police Forces.
After the journey, 5 of us had a coffee in their lovely restaurant area, prices are very reasonable & we also visited their excellent gift shop, where we purchased some fab gifts for friends & family.
This isn't somewhere we would have thought to visit if it hadn't been for the 'industrial heritage tour' we were on. We are glad it was part of our tour as its definitely a place everyone needs to visit.
Highly recommend. 10/10
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In November 2011, Travellerx4 said about National Memorial Arboretum
Attended with our children ages 9 and 6. We did not pay an admission fee on this day. To see so many on such a day, made me so proud to be there remembering so many with memorials here. A new parking meadow was used this year with walking only five minutes away and a donation was the parking fee. Great idea! We arrived at 9:45 am for the 10:30 start time of the service. Very busy but orderly. Tickets for seating in the central memorial are very limited - you must apply months in advance to even be considered for such an honor. To accommodate the amount of people who attend, a big screen tv (the length of a tractor trailor) is outside where there are chairs arranged for more people to sit and watch the service on-going inside the circular perimeter of the central memorial. Programs were given to all who attended. The staff and volunteers of the National Memorial Arboretum were very kind and helpful. Very moving and highly recommend it. For restaurants (as the cafe was very busy), go to Lichfield which has many nice choices and parking lots close to town centre (just a 10 minute drive away).
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In May 2012, 1AnnieEliza said about National Memorial Arboretum
Our entire extended family of cousins, aunts, uncles and children visited together on a recent sunny Sunday. The perfect place to stroll, enjoy natural beauty, and teach older children a bit about history. It's very touching to see families with veterans there as well. The main monument puts me very much in mind of parts of The Mall in Washington DC, with the huge obelisk and the curving walls that resemble the WWII memorial. Very emotional sculptures of soldiers in wartime at the main monument. Be sure to ask a docent for details on the sculptures; ours pointed out facts that I would certainly have missed. Very glad to have visited.
This is a lovely place, opened in 2007. Unfortunately, we did not get to cover all the grounds. I imagine you could go regularly for a long time before accomplishing that goal. As more continues to grow, it will only get better as an arboretum.
I think it is free, but a fee for parking. Well worth it. Nice gift shop, also a restaurant though we did not go there. There is a lot of walking and many steps up to the monument. Be sure to get assistance in advance if you need it.
This is a lovely place, opened in 2007. Unfortunately, we did not get to cover all the grounds. I imagine you could go regularly for a long time before accomplishing that goal. As more continues to grow, it will only get better as an arboretum.
I think it is free, but a fee for parking. Well worth it. Nice gift shop, also a restaurant though we did not go there. There is a lot of walking and many steps up to the monument. Be sure to get assistance in advance if you need it.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In October 2012, Daru500 said about National Memorial Arboretum
The National Memorial Arboretum is a wonderful and very moving place. There is a lovely chapel which holds a minutes silence every day. There are man y different memorials to see over quite a large area, including the armed forces memorial and the Far East Prisoners of War memorial, which is a replica of a hut from there, and i found my grandad's name on the computer (he was a far eastern prisoner of war) which was moving. I also liked seeing all of the other memorials to different regiments, navy and air force and also civillians and the police and fire service and rescue services. It truly makes you appreciate the sacrifice made by others to keep this country free and great and it really moves you to see some of the ages and new names being added. It is a fantastic place in a beautiful setting and I would love to go back again as it is changing all the time. It is somewhere you must visit to experience it and hear the stories of bravery and honour and appreciate the sacrifices made by others. It has something of interest for all ages. Admission is free and there are opportunities to make donations. The many volunteers who work there are very knowledgeable and friendly. There is plenty of car parking and an on-site restaurant providing snacks and meals at reasonable prices.
Please go, it is an umissable, moving and wonderful experience
Please go, it is an umissable, moving and wonderful experience
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In April 2013, muddyboy said about National Memorial Arboretum
we visited this site on a cold day in April. What a lovely site, parking was easy and cost £3 for the whole day.
Entry to the site is free, but I advise you to buy a map as it is a large site, and although many helpful guides it is easier to walk yourself with a map.
It is a fairly large site but if walking is difficult you can hire golf buggies or go on a guided tour by a dotto train, these do have a small charge for their hire.
Restaurant was good and had hot, cold, meals sandwiches and soup if required. The staff were most pleasant and helpful.
The staff on the whole site were extremely helpful and pleasant.
All of the individual areas are well posted so easy to find with help of aforesaid map.
Only negative comment I can find is the poor signage of the wonderful place, we travelled from Leamington Spa and did not see one tourist signpost ( the brown ones) until we were 100 metres from entrance.
This is not down to the Arboretum, and I do not know who should be making sure this place is easy to find, but surely such a fabulous place ought to be well signed.
In fact the whole area of Tamworth is badly signed. we decided not to use a sat nav but ye olde map book.....maybe we should have used sat nav, but I can read a map.
Entry to the site is free, but I advise you to buy a map as it is a large site, and although many helpful guides it is easier to walk yourself with a map.
It is a fairly large site but if walking is difficult you can hire golf buggies or go on a guided tour by a dotto train, these do have a small charge for their hire.
Restaurant was good and had hot, cold, meals sandwiches and soup if required. The staff were most pleasant and helpful.
The staff on the whole site were extremely helpful and pleasant.
All of the individual areas are well posted so easy to find with help of aforesaid map.
Only negative comment I can find is the poor signage of the wonderful place, we travelled from Leamington Spa and did not see one tourist signpost ( the brown ones) until we were 100 metres from entrance.
This is not down to the Arboretum, and I do not know who should be making sure this place is easy to find, but surely such a fabulous place ought to be well signed.
In fact the whole area of Tamworth is badly signed. we decided not to use a sat nav but ye olde map book.....maybe we should have used sat nav, but I can read a map.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In July 2013, William R said about National Memorial Arboretum
The NMA has developed tremendously over the past decade, and a beautiful Saturday in early July gave thousands an opportunity to enjoy a unique visitor experience. If present in the morning, the 1100hrs service, last post and reveille, followed by a welcome talk, in the chapel, is highly recommended. The restaurant is self service and usually busy; the food is of a high standard and not extortionately priced.
The land train, a 50 minute journey with good recorded commentary, round the entire 150 acre site is also recommended, at a cost of £4.50 per adult. The day of our visit was also the Royal Artillery day, with many veterans and their families on the site, plus a military band and many service personnel, and cadets; this enhanced the overall experience.
Unlike other reviewers, I felt under no pressure to make further contributions to the running costs of the NMA; my £3 parking charge, land train fare and profits on my lunch and refreshments more than covered the £6 anticipated contribution.
The £3 map of the site is certainly overpriced, and is disappointing. The memorials are not listed in any particular order, and it is not at all easy to use.
Overall the NMA is an excellent place to visit, and is highly recommended.
The land train, a 50 minute journey with good recorded commentary, round the entire 150 acre site is also recommended, at a cost of £4.50 per adult. The day of our visit was also the Royal Artillery day, with many veterans and their families on the site, plus a military band and many service personnel, and cadets; this enhanced the overall experience.
Unlike other reviewers, I felt under no pressure to make further contributions to the running costs of the NMA; my £3 parking charge, land train fare and profits on my lunch and refreshments more than covered the £6 anticipated contribution.
The £3 map of the site is certainly overpriced, and is disappointing. The memorials are not listed in any particular order, and it is not at all easy to use.
Overall the NMA is an excellent place to visit, and is highly recommended.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In December 2016, IandM_Berkshire_UK said about National Memorial Arboretum
Very interesting and thought provoking place to wander around and to reflect on how lucky we are to be able to do so. Map shows the principal monuments so you can get your bearings, but there are literally dozens - perhaps hundreds - of smaller monuments no less important for helping visitors to remember those who made the supreme sacrifice.
Somehow it seemed fitting to visit in winter when it is perhaps less busy and more quiet. A very thought provoking place. An especially poignant moment for my wife, a teacher, who found the name of an ex-student, a Royal Marine who perished in Afghanistan.
Some monuments not directly approachable by path, so stout shoes/walking boots recommended especially if the weather has been wet. Small coffee shop (excellent coffee!), large restaurant and shop. Eye-watering running costs of almost £3 per minute makes the Pay & Display charge of £3 all day seem trivial. Basic entrance is free, but maps, guides, land train, museum etc are all extra, but are good value.
Somehow it seemed fitting to visit in winter when it is perhaps less busy and more quiet. A very thought provoking place. An especially poignant moment for my wife, a teacher, who found the name of an ex-student, a Royal Marine who perished in Afghanistan.
Some monuments not directly approachable by path, so stout shoes/walking boots recommended especially if the weather has been wet. Small coffee shop (excellent coffee!), large restaurant and shop. Eye-watering running costs of almost £3 per minute makes the Pay & Display charge of £3 all day seem trivial. Basic entrance is free, but maps, guides, land train, museum etc are all extra, but are good value.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In June 2017, larke/Burgess said about National Memorial Arboretum
What a lovely place this is opened in 2001 contains 300 memorials for military civilian organisations associations and tributes for individuals, its a vast place 150 acres of formal Delete repeated wordwildflower meadows and maturing woodland, I'm sure it would take more than a day to cover all areas, it is divided in to nine zones, there is an armed forces memorial/Basra memorial wall/Polish armed forces/shot at dawn/parachute regiment and airborne forces memorial/Bastion memorial wall/Christmas truce memorial/national service/far east prisoners of war/Burma railway memorial.2 childrens play areas. the trees are also beautiful 30.000 all of the british native species as well as a number of specimen and foreign varieties which have been symbolically chosen to represent the stories they tell. There is a land train takes 50 mins tour with audio commentary,lovely restaurant and café. make sure you are there for 11 am silence. this is a lovely place to visit on foot or by land train or electric buggy or golf cart buggy lots of different ways to explore
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
In June 2017, Enid G said about National Memorial Arboretum
On arrival we had a coffee in the restaurant. As it was close to 11am we visited the Chapel which was almost fill and observed a two minute silence. This was very moving indeed.
We took advantage of the small train that tours the site, the automated commentary was very good and the driver slowed to allow us a good view. We then retraced our "steps" and paid more attention to the memorials that were if particular interest to us.
We ate lunch in the restaurant which I could not fault. Considering the amount of people being catered for they had it down to a fine art! No hanging about or long queues. The menu is varied and covers most tastes. Wines, beers, teas coffees all available. The toilets were clean and plenty of them. The gift shop had a large variety of goods particularly with the Poppy as a theme, reasonably priced, good quality and some made with the "fair trade" brand.
This is a wonderful place commemorating those killed in their line of duty since the Second World War. It's a "must" for everyone - such a sobering place and most lovingly cared for.
We took advantage of the small train that tours the site, the automated commentary was very good and the driver slowed to allow us a good view. We then retraced our "steps" and paid more attention to the memorials that were if particular interest to us.
We ate lunch in the restaurant which I could not fault. Considering the amount of people being catered for they had it down to a fine art! No hanging about or long queues. The menu is varied and covers most tastes. Wines, beers, teas coffees all available. The toilets were clean and plenty of them. The gift shop had a large variety of goods particularly with the Poppy as a theme, reasonably priced, good quality and some made with the "fair trade" brand.
This is a wonderful place commemorating those killed in their line of duty since the Second World War. It's a "must" for everyone - such a sobering place and most lovingly cared for.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk