October 17, 2026

Make Friends in Nottinghamshire, one walk at a time

Over a fifth of Nottinghamshire’s population has passed 65, and its towns sit within easy reach of forest, parkland and river paths.

Nottinghamshire get-together: a woman beams in front of a brightly coloured wall

862,000+

Nottinghamshire residents outside Nottingham city, which is run separately (ONS mid-2025 estimate)

21.9%

Nottinghamshire share aged 65-plus; East Midlands: 20.2% (ONS, mid-2025)

38%

Nottinghamshire households owning outright, with no mortgage; 35% across the region (Census 2021)

Nottinghamshire friendships often start outdoors

To make friends in Nottinghamshire, choose one local outing and repeat it every week. A Saturday walk round Rufford Abbey Country Park, a class at your library or a coffee after a stroll through Clumber Park puts familiar faces in front of you each time, and conversation follows. Towns like Mansfield, Worksop and Newark-on-Trent each have their own clubs too. Gofrendly helps women in Nottinghamshire find others who live nearby.

Asked about Nottinghamshire

At dusk in Nottinghamshire, two women pose and laugh beneath a street lamp

Which areas does this Nottinghamshire page cover?

Everything outside Nottingham city: Mansfield, Worksop, Newark-on-Trent, Southwell and the villages of Rushcliffe, Gedling and Broxtowe all count. The city runs its own council and has a separate Meet People hub, so this Nottinghamshire page sticks to the county around it.

Is there woodland for a sociable walk in Nottinghamshire?

Sherwood Forest near Edwinstowe has waymarked trails of several lengths and a visitor centre, which makes it an easy first outing in Nottinghamshire. Choose a regular morning and you will start to recognise other walkers, and that gives you a natural opening for conversation.

Where do Nottinghamshire women find friends close by?

Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lists Nottinghamshire women in your area, and you can message before deciding to meet. A coffee or a walk on a set weekday can then grow into a friendship that slots in alongside your job and home life.

Are there easy walks in Nottinghamshire for a first meet-up?

Yes. Clumber Park has lakeside walks to explore, and the riverside at Newark-on-Trent is gentle underfoot. Both suit a relaxed first meet-up in Nottinghamshire, with plenty of space to talk and somewhere nearby for a hot drink afterwards, whatever the weather.

Nottinghamshire, from pit towns to minster

Nottinghamshire stretches from the former mining towns around Mansfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield to Worksop in the north, Newark-on-Trent on the Trent and the villages south of the river. Nottingham itself has its own city council, so it sits outside the figures here. Sherwood Forest sits in the middle of the county, so look for company in market towns, village halls and leisure centres close to home rather than in one big centre.

The numbers point to an older county: more than a fifth of people have turned 65, and almost four households in ten are owned outright. If you are new here, or friends from work and school have drifted, the quiet can feel lonely for a while. Something regular in the diary works well here, whether that is a walking group, a choir, a community allotment or a volunteer shift at a country park. Try a few places like these:

Sherwood Forest near Edwinstowe, home of the ancient Major Oak and waymarked trails.

Rufford Abbey Country Park, with a lake, woodland walks and abbey ruins.

Clumber Park, a National Trust estate near Worksop with a long lake and cycle paths.

Southwell Minster, the cathedral at the heart of a small minster town.

The riverside at Newark-on-Trent, with walks along the Trent.

LOCAL TIP

Begin with the nearest and go again the week after.

How to

A Nottinghamshire plan for meeting people

Pick one weekly walk or class near home and keep to the same day.

Suggest a lakeside loop at Rufford Abbey to a neighbour you keep bumping into.

Use Gofrendly to find Nottinghamshire women close by and arrange a walk in Clumber Park.

Give a morning a month to a country park or community garden as a volunteer.

Two posts for a quiet hour

Friendship Breakup: A Genuine Guide to the Difficult Goodbye

Losing a close friend is a real loss. This guide covers the signs a friendship is ending and how to move through a friendship breakup with honesty.

Read the story →

UK Friendship Statistics: Clear Numbers Behind the Loneliness Epidemic

Real UK friendship statistics on loneliness — and why so many women are quietly finding this harder than they expected.

Read the story →

Nottinghamshire page, by our founders

Gofrendly’s founders, Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, wrote this Nottinghamshire page alongside our editors. It treats the county’s forest, country parks and market towns as everyday places where women can start new friendships.