The road from Pinchbeck to Surfleet cuts through the middle of the village and the A16 bypass acts as another division.
But the River Glen flows right the way through Surfleet, an attractive natural asset for villagers.
The Mermaid on the B1356 and The Riverside Hotel at the other end of the village, just before the A16, have seating areas overlooking the river.
At The Riverside Hotel, landlord of seven years Nick Bond says he has spent a fortune building a conservatory, replacing windows and refurbishing upstairs letting rooms.
Nick says: “Basically, I’ve done everything and it is literally only this year that I can’t see any capital expenditure so hopefully now I might earn some money out of the business rather than spend it.”
Regulars offered their own ideas and Nick says he listened to these before embarking on the alternations, which were carried out gradually so that customers were not suddenly faced with big changes.
Nick has a large decking area with tables and chairs overlooking the river, something his customers enjoy.
However, he says: “If the river was linked to other rivers so people could come out from Spalding on a boat and wend their way around, stopping at the hostelries, there would be an opportunity for a Lincolnshire Broads type scenario where people could hire a boat for a week and see Lincolnshire from the waterways.
“But it’s an asset and I have strong local support for my food and real ales.”