- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 17, 2026
Make Friends in Essex, coast and country
Essex is home to more than 1.5 million people in its county council area, with a long coastline, ancient forest and busy commuter towns.
1,576,000+
Essex County Council area, which leaves out Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock (ONS mid-2025 population)
32.7%
Essex households buying with a mortgage or loan; East of England: 30.6% (Census 2021)
13.9%
Essex homes where someone 66 or older lives on their own, versus 13.2% regionally (Census 2021, ONS)
Essex friendships grow town by town
To make friends in Essex, stay local and be regular: pick one activity near home and turn up every week. A walk in Epping Forest, a morning on the seafront at Clacton-on-Sea or a class in Chelmsford, Colchester or Harlow brings you back among the same people. Over a few weeks, nods become conversations. Gofrendly helps women in Essex connect with others close by.
Essex questions, briefly
Does this Essex page cover the whole county?
Not quite. Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock are in Essex but run their own councils, and Southend-on-Sea has a separate Meet People page. Everywhere else is here, including Chelmsford, Colchester, Basildon, Harlow, Braintree, Brentwood, Maldon, Clacton-on-Sea and Saffron Walden, plus the villages around them.
Where is a good coastal walk in Essex?
The Naze at Walton-on-the-Naze has clifftop paths and wide views over the North Sea, and Mersea Island has beaches and creeks to wander. Either makes an unhurried Essex outing with someone new, as long as you check the tide times for Mersea.
How do Essex women meet friends outside work?
Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app that lets women in Essex browse who lives nearby and send a message first. If work or a commute fills your weekdays, it helps you line up a weekend walk or a coffee with someone local.
Is there a historic house in Essex for a day out?
Audley End House, run by English Heritage near Saffron Walden, has grand rooms, a kitchen garden and parkland shaped by Capability Brown. It suits a long Essex afternoon with a new friend, with room to walk and somewhere to stop for tea.
Essex, from forest edge to estuary
Essex is a large county with very different corners to explore. Epping Forest and Harlow sit near the London border, Chelmsford and Colchester are among the biggest centres, and the coast runs from the Thames estuary past Maldon and Mersea Island to Clacton-on-Sea and Harwich. Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock are run separately and sit outside these figures. If you commute by train into London, local friendships may need to fit around evenings, Saturdays and Sundays.
Roughly a third of households are buying with a mortgage, a little above the regional figure. At the same time, about one household in seven is a person of 66 or over on their own. Whichever group you belong to, life can feel lonely when the people around you seem busy. Weekend walking groups, evening classes, sea swimming clubs and volunteering each offer a regular slot, week in and week out. A few good starting points near you:
1
Epping Forest, ancient woodland with trails around Epping and Loughton.
2
Audley End House near Saffron Walden, an English Heritage mansion with parkland.
3
Mersea Island, reached by a causeway that floods at high tide.
4
The Naze at Walton-on-the-Naze, with cliffs, a tower and coastal paths.
5
Hadleigh Country Park, close to the ruins of Hadleigh Castle.
LOCAL TIP
Choose the closest one and build it into your routine.
How to
Meeting people across Essex: four ideas
1
Join a weekend walking group near your town and keep to one regular day.
2
Plan a first walk with a new acquaintance in Epping Forest or along the Naze.
3
Find women in Essex on Gofrendly and set up a morning coffee in your nearest town.
4
Try an evening class in Chelmsford or Colchester if you commute during the day.
Two reads for the train home
Essex page: the team behind it
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja produced this Essex page with our editors, treating forest, coast and commuter towns as the places where women in the county can build friendships around their own week.
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.