October 19, 2026

Make Friends in Torquay, Among the Riviera Gardens

Torquay Museum has what it calls Britain’s only Agatha Christie gallery, and private renters account for roughly 31% of Torquay households.

Torquay woman delighted at a lively get-together, painted wall behind

69,500+

residents counted in seven Torquay wards, Barton with Watcombe to Wellswood (Census 2021, ONS)

31%

Torquay households in private rented homes, well clear of the South West’s 20% (Census 2021)

36%

Torquay homes where one person lives by themselves; regional figure 30% (ONS 2021)

Torquay has a new Saturday run

Cockington Court parkrun, which began on 26 September 2026 and loops through Manscombe Woods, is a fresh way to make friends in Torquay. Purls of Wisdom, the Monday-afternoon knitting circle at Torquay Library on Lymington Road, meets weekly, and Princess Gardens and Royal Terrace Gardens hold a 2026 Green Flag beside the harbour. Torquay women can meet through Gofrendly as well.

Torquay: what women want to know

Torquay friends giggling in a car as they set out

When did Cockington Court parkrun start?

Cockington Court parkrun held its first run on 26 September 2026, with 382 finishers. It starts outside Cockington Court House in Torquay and runs two out-and-back laps through Manscombe Woods. The narrow course is not suitable for double buggies, and dogs run on a short lead on your left.

What is in the Agatha Christie gallery at Torquay Museum?

Torquay Museum on Babbacombe Road has what it calls Britain’s only Agatha Christie gallery, including a recreation of Poirot’s study, and claims north-west Europe’s oldest human fossil. An adult ticket costs £10 and gives a year’s entry, and the museum closes on Mondays.

Does Torquay have a knitting group for adults?

Yes. Purls of Wisdom meets at Torquay Library on Lymington Road on Mondays from 2pm to 3pm. The library also hosts a monthly Local History Group and a Family History Surgery, so Torquay residents can try more than one activity in the same building during the week.

How can Torquay women make friends close to where they live?

Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lets Torquay women know who is living close by, from St Marychurch to Chelston, and after a short exchange of messages you can arrange to meet. A walk along the harbour to Princess Gardens is a gentle start in Torquay.

Torquay social life, harbour to Cockington

Torquay sits on the English Riviera, with its harbour, seafront gardens and Agatha Christie connections, and Cockington Country Park just inland. In seven Torquay wards, around 31% of households rent privately and 36% hold one person, both well ahead of the South West. When so many neighbours rent or run a household solo, a weekly fixture you return to is the easiest way to swap nods for names, and the gardens along Torbay Road cost nothing to stroll through.

Once the Banjo Market season ends in September, Torquay can feel lonely for its year-round residents. Torquay Museum on Babbacombe Road charges £10 for a ticket that lasts a year, Torquay Library’s Art Deco building has a local history room and Computer Buddies, and Swim Torquay is at Plainmoor. Cockington Country Park has held a Green Flag every year since the scheme began. Torquay Museum also opens on weekends. Places to try:

Cockington Country Park, start of the new Saturday parkrun.

Torquay Library on Lymington Road, with Purls of Wisdom on Mondays.

Princess Gardens and Royal Terrace Gardens on Torbay Road.

Torquay Museum and its Agatha Christie gallery.

Babbacombe Downs, a clifftop Green Flag site.

LOCAL TIP

Go to Cockington Court parkrun every Saturday this month and see who says hello.

How to

Make friends in Torquay: four routines

Take your needles to Purls of Wisdom at Torquay Library on a Monday.

Connect with a Torquay woman on Gofrendly and walk the harbour to Princess Gardens.

Buy a year ticket to Torquay Museum and go back with someone new.

Our Torquay guide: the authors

Our editors and Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote the Torquay guide for Riviera women who rent, keep house solo or would like company beyond the summer crowds.