- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
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- Local guide
- October 17, 2026
Make Friends in Camden: Parks, Canal and High Street
Nearly four in ten Camden households are one person living alone, which means that from Kentish Town to West Hampstead plenty of people would welcome a regular plan.
216,000+
Camden residents (ONS mid-2025 population estimate)
39%
of households are a single person, against 29% across London (Census 2021, ONS)
3 in 10
residents are aged 20 to 34 (Census 2021, ONS)
Camden friendships are built around routines
To make friends in Camden, swap big nights out for small, repeated plans close to home. A morning swim at Parliament Hill Lido, a walk up Primrose Hill or a stretch of the Regent’s Canal towpath from Camden Town puts you among the same people again and again. Start with the one nearest your flat and make it weekly. Gofrendly helps you find women in Camden who want to meet up too.
Camden: friendship questions
Is it common to live alone in Camden and struggle to meet people?
Very common. Nearly four in ten Camden households are one person, so you are in good company. Living alone just means friendships need a little more planning: one weekly activity and one standing coffee date will change how the borough feels faster than you might expect.
Where can you meet people in Camden without going clubbing?
Camden is famous for its nightlife, but daytime is often easier for friendships. Try swimming at Parliament Hill Lido, walking on Hampstead Heath, a course at the local library or volunteering in a community garden. In Camden, regular daytime slots bring back the same faces.
How do students in Camden make friends outside university?
Look beyond campus: sports clubs, parkrun on Hampstead Heath, volunteering and evening classes all mix students with locals. In Camden, where Bloomsbury’s universities sit next to residential streets, a weekly activity off campus is the quickest way to friends who will still be there after term.
How do you keep new friendships going in a busy borough like Camden?
Make the next plan before you leave and keep it close to home. Camden is full of distractions, so a standing date, such as a Sunday walk on the Heath, does the work for you. Gofrendly, a friendship app just for women, also makes it easy to message women nearby.
Camden beyond the market
Camden has a lot of people living alone and a lot of people starting out. More than half of adults have never married, three in ten residents are in their twenties or early thirties, and students and young professionals move in every year. That makes it a borough where suggesting a plan to someone you have only met once is normal rather than odd. Few people here expect you to arrive with a ready-made group.
Each neighbourhood has its own pace. Camden Town and Kentish Town are busy and late, Hampstead and Belsize Park are greener and quieter, and Bloomsbury fills with students in term time. For all the crowds, Camden can feel lonely if every outing is with strangers, so aim for the places where the same faces come back. Living alone does not have to mean spending every evening alone; it just means the plans have to be yours. Where Camden’s regulars gather:
1
Parliament Hill Lido on Hampstead Heath, an unheated outdoor pool open all year.
2
Primrose Hill, for early and late walks with a view over the city.
3
The Regent’s Canal towpath, a walking and running route through Camden Town.
4
Camden Market, where stallholders and regulars know each other by sight.
5
Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath, with landscaped gardens and an art collection.
LOCAL TIP
Go to one of these at the same time each week, and give it a month before you judge it.
How to
Camden habits worth starting
1
Pick a weekly habit, such as Saturday parkrun on Hampstead Heath or an early swim at the lido, and go at the same time every week.
2
Open Gofrendly and look for women near you, from Gospel Oak to Swiss Cottage, then suggest a walk on the Heath for a first meeting.
3
Take a course at a local library, community centre or adult learning centre in Camden, where the same group meets for weeks.
4
Keep the second plan small and specific: ‘Lido again next Sunday?’ is easier to say yes to than a big night out.
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Who made this guide
Written by the Gofrendly editorial team and founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, this page is for women in Camden who want a few steady friendships among the crowds.
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Friendship looks different at every stage
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