Spalding
Spalding is a pleasant market town in the heart of the Lincolnshire Fens, surrounded by the sort of wonderfully flat countryside where you can see for miles and miles. It has long been associated with horticulture and flowers, and that connection provides the town with its biggest annual event.
The highlight is the Spalding Flower Parade, traditionally held in spring and featuring spectacular floats covered in thousands of fresh flowers. The parade began in 1959 and grew from the area's thriving bulb and flower industry into one of Lincolnshire's best-known events. At its height it attracted huge crowds, with beautifully decorated floats slowly making their way through the town. It is a wonderful splash of colour against the otherwise rather restrained Fenland landscape.The town itself has some attractive historic buildings, including Ayscoughfee Hall, a fine Tudor house surrounded by pleasant gardens. The River Welland runs through Spalding, adding a little waterside interest, while the town centre retains its traditional market-town character.
Spalding isn't somewhere you need several days to explore, but it makes a pleasant stop when touring Lincolnshire. Come during the flower parade and it is transformed into something considerably more colourful — and for a town in the middle of the Fens, that's quite an achievement!
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