October 21, 2026

Make Friends After 40 in Edinburgh After a Career Move

Edinburgh has 8% more women in their 40s than in 2015, while Scotland has 9% fewer, so a new job in the city often comes with plenty of peers.

Two women laugh beside their bicycles beneath the trees, Edinburgh friendships after 40

531,000+

Edinburgh’s population, per NRS mid-year figures for 2025

34,900+

Edinburgh women are 40 to 49, up 8% since 2015 while Scotland’s figure fell by 9% (NRS)

13%

of Edinburgh women are in their 40s, compared with 12% across Scotland (NRS mid-2025)

Edinburgh rewards an evening outside work

If you moved to Edinburgh for a job in your 40s, or changed career, you can make friends after 40 by putting one evening a week outside work in the diary. Edinburgh College runs dozens of evening courses across its campuses, Central Library on George IV Bridge stays open until 8pm from Monday to Wednesday, and the SONGWORKS community choir meets in Morningside. Gofrendly is one way to reach other newcomers living nearby.

What Edinburgh women in their 40s ask us

Edinburgh friendship in your 40s: a woman beaming at an indoor get-together beside a mural

What evening courses can you take in Edinburgh?

Edinburgh College lists more than thirty evening courses for adults, including creative portrait photography at Sighthill, contemporary songwriting at Milton Road and an introduction to British Sign Language. Fees vary by course, for example £260 for photography, so Edinburgh learners can pick a course that suits their budget and their week.

Is there a women-only book group in Edinburgh?

Central Library on George IV Bridge hosts Book Café, a women-only book group that meets at lunchtime on each month’s third Wednesday, booked through Ticket Source. It suits Edinburgh women who work flexibly or can take a long lunch, and the library runs other groups too.

How do women who move to Edinburgh in their 40s make friends?

Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, is a way for newcomers to Edinburgh to contact women living nearby before meeting face to face. Combining it with a weekly evening course or choir gives you both a first contact and somewhere to see people every week.

When did the Wester Hailes pool reopen in Edinburgh?

The pool, gym and studio at Wester Hailes High School reopened on 1 October 2026 after closing on 31 March 2025 for refurbishment. Run by Edinburgh Leisure, the centre offers lane swimming and classes such as Pilates, giving west Edinburgh a weekly option close to home.

Building Edinburgh friendships beyond the office

Since 2015 Edinburgh has added women in their forties, against a fall across Scotland, so the city keeps gaining women at this stage. Some arrive with a new job, some are switching careers or returning to study, and colleagues may well head home to their own lives at 5pm, every day. Without children’s activities to fill the diary, evenings can stay surprisingly empty. A course or club outside work gives you a second set of people who are not tied to your job.

Starting over socially in your 40s in a new city can be lonely, and winter makes it harder. Evening classes, from photography to songwriting, put adults with a shared interest in the same room every week, and the library’s later opening hours give you a quiet place to meet after work. Choose something that lasts a whole term, giving the group time to gel. Good options to explore:

Edinburgh College evening courses at Granton, Sighthill and Milton Road, from photography to songwriting.

Central Library on George IV Bridge, open until 8pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

SONGWORKS Community Choir, an evening choir at The Loft at McLarens on the Corner, Morningside Road.

Edinburgh parkrun along the promenade, starting at 9.30am each Saturday.

Wester Hailes leisure facilities, where the pool, gym and studio reopened in October 2026.

LOCAL TIP

Choose one that starts after work and stay for the whole term.

How to

Meeting people in Edinburgh after a job change

Enrol on an Edinburgh College evening course in something unrelated to your job.

Join the SONGWORKS choir for a ten-week term, or drop in once to try it.

Look on Gofrendly for other women new to Edinburgh and suggest a first meeting near George IV Bridge after work.

Run or walk Edinburgh parkrun by the sea, then suggest coffee to the woman who kept your pace.

One friendship, and what the figures show

Josephine & Bella’s Real Friendship Story: A Genuine Friendship, Five Years On

Josephine and Bella matched on Gofrendly five years ago. Here's the real story of how one match became a lasting friendship.

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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.

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Written by our team for Edinburgh

Our editors and Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja shaped this Edinburgh page around one question: how to find friends outside the office after moving for work or changing career.