- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 20, 2026
Make Friends in Redland, between the library and the green
Married couples with kids still at home head more than 21% of Redland households, and the local library holds a shared reading session each Tuesday.
13,200+
residents in Redland ward, Bristol (Census 2021, ONS)
22%
of Redland households are a wedded couple plus dependent children, against 13% in the South West (Census 2021)
12%
of Redland residents are 65 and older, compared with 22% across the South West (ONS 2021)
Redland starts with a story on Tuesdays
A gentle way to make friends in Redland is the weekly shared reading group at Redland Library on Whiteladies Road, 2pm to 3:30pm on Tuesdays, with nothing to read beforehand. A monthly reading group follows on the third Thursday. Redland Green, open at all hours, has a bowling club and a tennis club on its edges. If you would rather start one to one, Gofrendly can introduce you to a Redland woman nearby.
Redland questions, in short
When is the library in Redland open?
Redland Library on Whiteladies Road opens 11am to 5pm on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and until 7pm on Wednesdays. Mondays and Sundays are closing days, and Bristol libraries post any short-notice changes to these hours on their Bluesky and Facebook pages.
Which parkruns are within reach of Redland?
Redland itself has no course. Eastville parkrun, about 3km away, loops past the lake in Eastville Park every Saturday and drew almost 700 finishers on 17 October 2026, whereas Ashton Court parkrun, about 4km away, runs out and back from the Mansion.
Where is the nearest swimming pool to Redland?
Horfield Leisure Centre on Dorian Road, a short trip north of Redland, has a 25m main pool with an adjustable floor, a separate teaching pool, gym and upwards of 150 classes each week. Everyone Active runs it, with doors opening at 6:30am on weekdays and 7:30am on Saturdays and Sundays.
Where can Redland parents meet other mums?
Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app where Redland women can look up others close by and send the first hello. Over a fifth of households in the ward are a married couple with dependants, so a playground meet-up on Redland Green or at Cotham Gardens gives you both an easy first plan.
Friendship in Redland, between school runs and the green
The numbers show plenty of families in Redland: married couples with kids still at home head more than 21% of households, against 13% regionally, while only about one in eight residents is 65 or over. Owner-occupiers live in about 66% of homes, while social renting accounts for barely 3%. If your days revolve around school runs, the people you see at the gate and in the playground are a natural place to begin, so learn a few names and suggest a coffee.
If you work from home, a quiet residential street can feel lonely by Wednesday. Redland Green has open grass, a play area and walking and cycling routes towards Westbury Park, and Cotham Gardens on Redland Grove has a large dog-free play space for under-12s. Bristol Museum & Art Gallery on Queens Road is a short trip south and charges nothing for entry, and Horfield Leisure Centre, to the north, has a 25m pool whose floor can be raised. A few places to try:
1
The Tuesday shared reading group at Redland Library.
2
The monthly reading group on the third Thursday.
3
Bowls or tennis at the clubs on Redland Green.
4
Eastville parkrun, a lap of the lake on Saturdays.
5
The galleries at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.
LOCAL TIP
Say yes to tea after the Tuesday group and the next week will feel far easier.
How to
Getting to know new people in Redland
1
Turn up to the Tuesday shared reading group, where no reading is needed beforehand.
2
Ask about joining the bowling club or the tennis club on Redland Green.
3
Travel the three kilometres to Eastville parkrun and volunteer once a month.
4
Walk across the green to Cotham Gardens with a Redland woman you meet through the app.
For a quiet evening in
About the writers of this Redland page
Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, who set up Gofrendly, wrote this Redland guide in tandem with our editors, so that women in north Bristol whose week runs between home, school and the green have a place to start.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Find women near you
See who’s nearby and say hi — it’s free to start.