- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Newtownabbey, along the Loughshore and in Valley Park
Most Newtownabbey homes, some 69%, belong to the families living in them, and a cycle path links three lough-side parks along Belfast Lough.
67,500+
people in Metropolitan Newtownabbey, NISRA Census 2021
69%
of Newtownabbey households own their home, ahead of 64% for Northern Ireland (NISRA 2021)
12%
of Newtownabbey households rent privately; Northern Ireland as a whole stands at 17% (NISRA)
Newtownabbey plays chess on Tuesdays
The Tuesday morning chess drop-in and Cryptic Corner at Glengormley Library on Carnmoney Road are a sociable way to make friends in Newtownabbey, and Knit and Natter follows on Wednesday afternoons. On Saturdays Valley parkrun sets off from Valley Leisure Centre on tarmac paths through Valley Park. Newtownabbey women can find someone to go with through Gofrendly, the women-only friendship app.
Newtownabbey: helpful answers
What is the Loughshore in Newtownabbey?
Jordanstown Loughshore Park, Hazelbank Park and Gideon’s Green are three council sites along the shore of Belfast Lough, linked by National Cycle Network route 93. They were among the 33 awards Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council celebrated in July 2026, and suit a long Newtownabbey walk.
What is at Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey?
Valley Leisure Centre on Church Road has a swimming pool with no advance booking needed, a health suite with jacuzzi, a fitness suite, squash, cycle and fitness studios, a sports hall and soft play. Weekdays run 6am to 10pm and weekends 8am to 4pm, beside Valley Park in Newtownabbey.
What groups meet at Glengormley Library?
Glengormley Library in Newtownabbey runs a chess drop-in and Cryptic Corner on Tuesday mornings, Mindful Colouring and Knit and Natter on Wednesdays, Tea and Newspapers on Friday mornings, The Writer’s Room on third Fridays and a reading group for adults at the end of each month.
Where can Newtownabbey women meet someone new?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lets Newtownabbey women browse others close by and get acquainted by message before meeting. A walk along the Loughshore path or a Saturday at Valley parkrun keeps a first meeting easy, with plenty to look at.
Newtownabbey, a lough-side place of settled homes
In Metropolitan Newtownabbey roughly 69 homes in 100 are owner-occupied and only about 12% are private lets, clearly different from Northern Ireland overall, while the 18–24 age group is only 7% of local residents. With so many people settled in family homes, friendships can stay within the same street or school gate, so it helps to pick one group that mixes people from across Glengormley, Jordanstown and Whiteabbey.
Plenty of neighbours does not rule out feeling lonely. Jordanstown Loughshore Park, Hazelbank Park and Gideon’s Green are linked by a cycle path along Belfast Lough, Valley Park has ponds and woodland that is now maturing, and Theatre at the Mill at Mossley Mill has a full autumn programme. The council collected 33 Green Flag and Community Awards in 2026, and Glengormley Library runs Tea and Newspapers on Friday mornings and a script-writing group, The Writer’s Room, once a month. Good places to start:
1
Glengormley Library on Carnmoney Road.
2
Jordanstown Loughshore Park and the lough-side path.
3
Valley Park and its ponds.
4
Valley Leisure Centre on Church Road.
5
Theatre at the Mill at Mossley Mill.
LOCAL TIP
Turn up to the chess drop-in twice and you may have a standing Tuesday game.
How to
Newtownabbey: simple ways to meet people
1
Join the monthly Adult Reading Group at Glengormley Library, held on a Thursday morning.
2
Run or walk Valley parkrun on a Saturday, then use the leisure centre café.
3
Cycle or walk the lough-side path from Jordanstown Loughshore to Gideon’s Green.
4
Book a show at Theatre at the Mill with a Newtownabbey woman from Gofrendly.
Two women, two friendships worth reading
Newtownabbey guide: about the writers
Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, who started Gofrendly, put together this Newtownabbey guide with our editors, for women in settled family homes who want friends beyond their own road.
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
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