Where is it? I hear you say. You could be forgiven for not knowing! Manea is the first station east of March towards Ely and hardly a speck on the map but a speck that has much to recommed it.

First of all, getting there by train is very difficult. Only a handful of trains (and I mean that literally!) stop each day, early morning and late afternoon. Road travel recommended.

The station is very small, platforms just 2 coach lengths, bus shelter facilities, unmanned, but you can park right outside. It sits on a perfectly straight stretch of track with a level crossing right off the eastern end of the platforms and a singalbox just beyond that on the Up side of the line. The big recommendation is that it still has a full outfit of semaphores.

It used to feature both Up and Down refuge loops but both are now disconnected though still in situ. An old SR brakevan is stranded in the Down loop and there is talk of reinstating the Up loop in connection with the new Whitemoor Yard.

To the west, photo opportunities are few but to the east, about a mile distant, is Welney Road AHB which has a very nice distant view of Manea as a backdrop to pictures and, in the other direction, has the Wash Bridges as a backdrop. Get to Welney Road AHB by going into the village and taking the left turn just before the school. The Bridges are accessible via Welney village but photo opportunities there are not easy. Better to go through Manea village to Welch's Dam Nature Reserve and walk back towards the Bridges.

Manea itself is a large village and offers several shops and a chip shop plus a very respecatble Italian restaurant!

If you are in the Fens and looking for a good phot spot, then give Manea a look.