- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
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- Local guide
- October 17, 2026
Make Friends in Peterborough: Where to Start This Week
Peterborough has more than a third of its residents aged between 25 and 49, a bigger share than the regional average, so plenty of the people around you are at a similar life stage.
224,000+
residents in Peterborough, ONS mid-2025 estimate
36%
of Peterborough’s residents fall in the 25 to 49 age band, versus 33% for the East of England (ONS mid-2025)
22%
of Peterborough’s population is under 16, compared with 18% across the region (ONS mid-2025)
Peterborough friendships need a meeting point
To make friends in Peterborough, give yourself one regular meeting point and use it every week. Ferry Meadows, the streets around the cathedral and the riverside Embankment are easy places for weekend plans, and a weekly class or club gives you the repeat contact that a single coffee cannot. Through Gofrendly, women in Peterborough can meet others nearby who like to take friendship at an unhurried pace.
Questions people ask about Peterborough
Is Peterborough a friendly place to live?
Peterborough is a mixed, growing city with lots of local groups, sports clubs and faith and community organisations. Friendliness often depends on being in the right place regularly, so choose something that meets every week in Peterborough and familiar faces will start to appear sooner than you think.
What is there to do in Peterborough with friends?
In Peterborough you can walk or cycle around Ferry Meadows, visit the cathedral, see an exhibition at Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery or take a ride on the Nene Valley Railway. They all work for a first meet-up, because there is something to look at besides each other.
Where can women meet new friends in Peterborough?
Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app built for meeting women near you in Peterborough: you message first and meet when you are both ready. Daytime classes, walking groups and volunteering are good additions, since they put you in the same room as the same people every week.
Is there a parkrun in Peterborough?
Yes, Ferry Meadows parkrun takes place on Saturday mornings in Nene Park, on the western side of Peterborough. Walking the 5k course is just as welcome as running it, and lingering for a coffee with the other regulars afterwards can make it a weekly social habit in Peterborough.
Where Peterborough meets up
Peterborough has a medieval cathedral at its centre and a large country park on its western edge. It was designated a new town in 1967, and estates such as Bretton and Orton grew up around the older city, so many neighbourhoods have their own community centres, schools and shops. That makes it worth looking beyond the city centre: groups organised by interest, sport, faith and language meet all over Peterborough.
The age profile helps too. Over a third of residents are between 25 and 49 and more than one in five is under 16, so lots of people here are fitting friendships around work and childcare. If that juggling has made your social life a little lonely, you are hardly alone in it. Shorter, regular plans tend to work better than ambitious ones: a weekly walk, a class during school hours or a Saturday morning run. Places to try first:
1
Ferry Meadows in Nene Park, with lakes, trails and a Saturday parkrun.
2
Peterborough Cathedral, where tours and music make an easy shared outing.
3
The Embankment, the riverside green space beside the River Nene.
4
Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery, with exhibitions and tours in one of the city’s most historic buildings.
5
The Nene Valley Railway, a heritage steam line that relies on volunteers.
LOCAL TIP
Pick one for this weekend and put the next visit in your diary before you leave.
How to
Start meeting people in Peterborough
1
Try the parkrun at Ferry Meadows on a Saturday morning, walking or running, and stay for a chat afterwards.
2
Volunteer with a local group such as the Nene Valley Railway, where working side by side gets people talking.
3
Use Gofrendly to message women nearby in Peterborough and plan a walk along the Embankment.
4
Choose a class or group that meets in the daytime if your evenings are taken up with family life.
Something lighter to read
Who wrote about Peterborough
Our editorial team wrote this Peterborough page with Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, looking at the country park, the riverside and the regular groups that help women build friendships close to home.
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.