October 19, 2026

Make Friends in Exmouth, Two Miles of Sand and a Seafront Run

Exmouth parkrun starts opposite the 1930s Pavilion on the Esplanade, and Exmouth residents aged 65 or over number about 29%.

Exmouth friends shaking with laughter inside a car

35,400+

residents in five Exmouth wards, Brixington to Withycombe Raleigh (Census 2021, ONS)

29%

Exmouth residents aged 65 and above, against 22% for the South West (Census 2021)

44%

Exmouth homes owned outright, mortgage cleared; region 38% (ONS)

Exmouth gathers on the Esplanade

Exmouth parkrun, which starts on the seafront opposite the Pavilion and drew 528 finishers in mid-October 2026, is a breezy way to make friends in Exmouth. The library on Exeter Road hosts a free Friday Lunch Club, Phear Park has a café and pond near the centre, and the Friends of Manor Gardens help keep its flower displays going. Exmouth women also find each other through Gofrendly.

Exmouth questions, Esplanade to Phear Park

Exmouth friends giggling in the yellow light of a street lamp

Where is the start of Exmouth parkrun?

Exmouth parkrun starts in the beachfront area opposite the Exmouth Pavilion on the Esplanade every Saturday morning. It had 528 finishers and 43 volunteers in mid-October 2026, so newcomers to Exmouth will find plenty of company along the seafront and in the cafés afterwards.

What is the Friday Lunch Club at Exmouth Library?

The Friday Lunch Club at Exmouth Library on Exeter Road is a free midday gathering run with the Mushroom Food Network from 12pm to 2pm. Sharing lunch at the same table each week lets Exmouth neighbours get to know each other without any pressure.

What facilities does Phear Park in Exmouth have?

Phear Park, a short walk from Exmouth town centre, has a café, a pond, a nine-hole pitch and putt, tennis courts, a bowls club and some of the town’s oldest and largest trees. It also has a free car park and toilets, which makes it handy for meeting.

Can Exmouth women meet others living on the same side of town?

Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lets Exmouth women find others living nearby, from Littleham to Brixington, and a couple of messages is all it takes to arrange coffee. A stroll along the Esplanade and a coffee in Phear Park is a gentle start.

Exmouth, a seaside town for second chapters

Exmouth looks over the mouth of the Exe, with two miles of sandy beach, the Esplanade and the Art Deco Exmouth Pavilion, which seats 541. In five town wards, people aged 65-plus make up around 29% of the population and mortgage-free owners hold some 44% of homes, both clearly above regional levels. If you have time on your hands and roots somewhere else, a regular weekly meeting place is the quickest way to make Exmouth feel like home, and the long seafront suits an unhurried walk together.

The seafront can feel lonely on grey winter weekdays. Exmouth Library is closed on Wednesdays but open the other weekdays and Saturday mornings, Exmouth Leisure Centre on The Royal Avenue offers swimming, though check pool closures in December, and Exmouth Museum on Sheppards Row closes for the winter after 1 November. The Pavilion has a café and a seafront patio for coffee. Places to try:

The Esplanade, where Exmouth parkrun starts opposite the Pavilion.

Phear Park, with a café, a pond and pitch and putt.

Manor Gardens and its bandstand, with flower displays tended by a Friends group.

Exmouth Library on Exeter Road, with the Friday Lunch Club.

Exmouth Pavilion, the Art Deco venue on the seafront.

LOCAL TIP

Pick Exmouth parkrun as your Saturday start and the seafront as your coffee stop.

How to

Exmouth: meeting people by the Exe

Go along to the free Friday Lunch Club at Exmouth Library.

Help the Friends of Manor Gardens and Streetscene with the flower displays.

Set up a Phear Park café meeting with an Exmouth woman from Gofrendly.

Walk Exmouth parkrun on the Esplanade and stay to clap the tail walker in.

Friendship, by the numbers and beyond

Feeling Lonely Even With Friends? Here’s the Honest Reason Why

Feeling lonely even with friends is more common than you'd think. Here's why it happens, and what actually helps you feel less alone.

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 →

The Exmouth guide’s writers

Our editors and Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote the Exmouth guide for Devon women who settled by the sea after work, came here later in life or want company along the Exe estuary.