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Best train spotting locations in the UK

Explore railway stations, junctions and heritage lines through Fishplate’s associated train-video data.

Back to Locations

Find places to watch and film trains

Train spotting locations include stations, junctions, heritage railways and other railway places represented in Fishplate’s video archive. Browse the ranking below to find places with the strongest associated video activity, then open each location for its linked train videos.

This is a live, data-led directory rather than a safety or access guide. Rankings use videos published in the selected period and can be ordered by associated video views or video count. They do not measure train frequency, operational activity, facilities, photography permissions or whether a place is suitable to visit. Always use lawful public access and check local conditions before travelling.

You can also browse every Fishplate location or explore locations on the map.

This dashboard ranks locations using videos published in the selected date range, not when videos were indexed.

View counts may lag and the most recent data may not be visible.

Reset to the default ranking
Ranking period: 2025-10-31 to 2026-10-30 · Ranked by associated views.

Ranked train spotting locations

Recent ranking trend

Location ranking table

Location Associated videos Associated views Share (VIEWS)
Carlisle 1,480 714,640 5.11%
Crewe 367 513,769 3.67%
York 200 448,359 3.20%
Dawlish 95 373,585 2.67%
Severn Valley Railway 247 320,621 2.29%
Derby 202 304,103 2.17%
Doncaster 655 261,020 1.87%
Sheffield 206 192,614 1.38%
Newcastle 122 190,323 1.36%
Euston 26 170,110 1.22%
Leicester 131 152,177 1.09%
Loughborough 52 151,204 1.08%
Leeds 266 146,557 1.05%
Stafford 134 143,544 1.03%
Gloucester 95 138,933 0.99%
Blackpool North 3 132,702 0.95%
Tamworth 72 132,161 0.94%
Kidderminster 70 130,869 0.94%
Victoria 7 129,531 0.93%
Carstairs 6 128,261 0.92%
Darlington 30 120,532 0.86%
London Bridge 16 119,827 0.86%
Bedford 19 117,819 0.84%
Lincoln 362 113,463 0.81%
West Ealing 19 112,867 0.81%
Warrington Bank Quay 23 96,400 0.69%
Wimbledon 23 95,562 0.68%
Peterborough 208 93,795 0.67%
Nuneaton 70 93,767 0.67%
Piccadilly 38 88,149 0.63%
Barnstaple 2 87,468 0.63%
Carnforth 157 87,261 0.62%
Settle 39 85,211 0.61%
Reading 60 84,359 0.60%
East Lancashire Railway 75 82,432 0.59%
Inverness 27 82,389 0.59%
Bo'ness 66 80,967 0.58%
Manchester Oxford Road 4 77,602 0.55%
Gainsborough Lea Road 1,590 77,516 0.55%
Clapham Junction 48 76,217 0.54%
Walsall 8 72,840 0.52%
Morden 2 69,413 0.50%
East Finchley 1 65,000 0.46%
Stratford 47 64,116 0.46%
Nine Elms 4 61,335 0.44%
Wolverton 22 60,481 0.43%
Middlesbrough 1 60,467 0.43%
Longport 14 60,147 0.43%
Eastleigh 84 59,793 0.43%
Tower Gateway 2 59,436 0.42%

Rising locations

Compared with the previous equal period
Location Change in share Change in VIEWS
Crewe +2.04pp +256,722
York +1.01pp +101,663
Euston +0.99pp +134,043
Blackpool North +0.94pp +131,808
Victoria +0.92pp +129,099
Carstairs +0.91pp +127,027
Newcastle +0.88pp +113,848
Bedford +0.81pp +112,793
West Ealing +0.78pp +108,543
London Bridge +0.77pp +106,869
Stafford +0.77pp +103,593
Derby +0.76pp +80,639
Leicester +0.75pp +98,879
Darlington +0.71pp +96,286
Wimbledon +0.68pp +95,086
Warrington Bank Quay +0.65pp +90,953
Lincoln +0.65pp +88,294
Barnstaple +0.61pp +85,061
Dawlish +0.56pp +40,228
Inverness +0.55pp +76,415
Manchester Oxford Road +0.55pp +76,931
Reading +0.52pp +70,712
Tamworth +0.51pp +63,323
East Lancashire Railway +0.51pp +69,554
Morden +0.50pp +69,413
Walsall +0.48pp +66,980
East Finchley +0.46pp +65,000
Gloucester +0.45pp +53,205
Nuneaton +0.44pp +58,230
Nine Elms +0.44pp +61,335
Doncaster +0.44pp +35,355
Middlesbrough +0.43pp +60,036
Tower Gateway +0.42pp +59,436
East Coast Main Line +0.42pp +59,256
Gainsborough Lea Road +0.42pp +55,690
Peterborough +0.39pp +49,690
Wolverton +0.39pp +53,539
Milton Keynes Central +0.39pp +53,638
Northallerton +0.36pp +49,750
Exmouth +0.36pp +49,424
Wood Lane +0.36pp +49,838
Shirebrook +0.34pp +47,216
Central Station +0.33pp +44,895
Loughborough +0.33pp +32,792
Waterloo +0.33pp +44,750
Totteridge & Whetstone +0.33pp +45,643
Southwark +0.33pp +45,501
Bewdley +0.32pp +43,140
Bletchley +0.32pp +43,509
Longport +0.29pp +37,860

Locations with the most associated videos

Location Associated videos Associated views
Lawrence Hill 1,874 39,115
Gainsborough Lea Road 1,590 77,516
Carlisle 1,480 714,640
Doncaster 655 261,020
Bristol Temple Meads 421 34,057
Crewe 367 513,769
Lincoln 362 113,463
Felixstowe 292 17,620
Leeds 266 146,557
Severn Valley Railway 247 320,621
Peterborough 208 93,795
Sheffield 206 192,614
Derby 202 304,103
York 200 448,359
London Gateway 193 6,077
Carnforth 157 87,261
Stafford 134 143,544
Leicester 131 152,177
Newcastle 122 190,323
Clifton Down 117 3,756
Wellingborough 95 24,591
Dawlish 95 373,585
Gloucester 95 138,933
Bank 86 45,434
Eastleigh 84 59,793
Northallerton 79 53,649
Lancaster 78 51,915
Whitemoor Yard 75 2,334
East Lancashire Railway 75 82,432
Tamworth 72 132,161
Airport 70 31,418
Kidderminster 70 130,869
Nuneaton 70 93,767
Bo'ness 66 80,967
Rugby 62 47,441
Great Central Railway 62 49,321
Keighley 61 19,076
High Street 61 24,296
Reading 60 84,359
Ely 59 25,351
Swindon 58 22,067
Tinsley Yard 53 3,758
Loughborough 52 151,204
London Euston 52 39,841
Cambridge North 51 13,777
Penzance 51 11,883
Swanage Railway 51 16,304
Ashford 50 10,067
Bluebell Railway 49 37,122
Clapham Junction 48 76,217

Before you choose a location

Train spotting locations FAQ

How the rankings work, what the numbers mean, and what to consider when planning a visit.

The best train spotting locations are places with frequent train movements, a good variety of rolling stock, clear views, and strong interest from rail enthusiasts. On Fishplate, this page helps you discover popular train spotting locations by ranking stations, heritage railways, and other railway hotspots using real video activity and viewing data.

Some of the best UK stations for trainspotting are usually the ones with busy timetables, varied operators, and strong railfan activity. Major interchange stations, important junctions, and well-known filming locations often perform well in the rankings. On Fishplate, you can use this page to see which UK train spotting locations are currently attracting the most views or uploads.

Fishplate ranks train spotting locations using activity from videos published on the platform within the selected date range. The rankings are designed to show which locations are currently the busiest or most popular based on how much content is being uploaded and watched.

They can be based on both. Depending on the selected settings, Fishplate can rank train spotting locations by total views or by number of videos. Ranking by views highlights the locations getting the most attention, while ranking by videos shows where the most content is being posted.

Busiest locations are usually ranked by performance metrics such as views or number of videos during a selected time period. Most tagged locations focus on how often a location is tagged in uploaded content. A location may be heavily tagged by contributors without generating the highest views, so the two rankings can produce different results.

This page updates regularly as new videos and location data are added to Fishplate. Because the rankings depend on the selected date range and the latest published content, positions can change over time as new uploads and views are recorded.