- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 20, 2026
Make Friends in Newmarket, between race days
Newmarket has a lot of one-person households, over 41% of them, and a Wednesday knitting circle runs at the library.
16,700+
people live in the three Newmarket wards, East, North and West (Census 2021, ONS)
41%
of Newmarket homes house one person, against 29% in the East of England (2021 Census)
31%
of Newmarket homes are private rentals, compared with 18% regionwide (ONS 2021)
Newmarket has more than horses
To make friends in Newmarket, start with the groups that gather midweek. Newmarket Library at The Guineas hosts Knit & Natter on Wednesdays from 10:30am and Top Time for older residents on Thursday mornings. Stalls go up for the market on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and Newmarket Leisure Centre on Exning Road has a 25m fitness pool, a spin studio and other classes. Gofrendly shows you Newmarket women who might like the sound of it.
Newmarket, the practical side
When is the horseracing museum in Newmarket open?
The National Horseracing Museum at Palace House, Newmarket, opens six days a week, Tuesday to Sunday, and also on bank holiday Mondays. From 1 November to 31 March the hours are 10am to 4pm. Tickets cost £15 for anyone 16 or over and £7.50 for ages 5 to 15, and under-5s go free.
How far is it from Newmarket to a parkrun?
None runs within Newmarket itself. The nearest are Soham Village College parkrun, about 10km away in a straight line, on grass and tarmac round the college campus, and Mildenhall Hub parkrun, about 13km away, an out-and-back route that starts beside the astro turf pitches.
What time is the market in Newmarket?
The Newmarket market runs on Tuesdays and Saturdays, 9am to 3pm, according to West Suffolk Council. For a seasonal browse, Presents Galore brings festive shopping, food and drink to the Rowley Mile Racecourse in Newmarket from 27 to 29 November 2026.
How do I meet women in Newmarket?
Try Gofrendly, the women-only friendship app, to see Newmarket women nearby and say hello first. Then propose something regular and low-key, like lengths at the Exning Road leisure centre or a Saturday morning browse of the market stalls in the town centre.
Living alone and meeting up in Newmarket
Newmarket has an unusual shape for a market town. Over 41% of households are one person, nearly 31% of homes are rented from private landlords, and both shares sit well above the regional average. That can make evenings quiet. For anyone on their own, a weekly group gives the week an anchor, and a regular walk or swim does the same at weekends, with no organising needed. Choose a fixed weekly slot, so that people start to expect you.
Coming back to a silent flat after work can be lonely. The racing heritage is one way in: Palace House on Palace Street is what remains of the palace Charles II built after 1666, and the National Horseracing Museum on the same site has galleries, a restaurant and former racehorses to meet. Discover Newmarket runs early-morning tours that take in the gallops on Warren Hill, starting from the museum. Ways to start:
1
Knit & Natter at Newmarket Library on Wednesdays.
2
An early gallops tour on Warren Hill.
3
The Tuesday or Saturday market.
4
Lane swims at Newmarket Leisure Centre.
5
Meeting former racehorses with Retraining of Racehorses at Palace House.
LOCAL TIP
Pick one Wednesday morning and keep it, and the knitting circle will soon be expecting you.
How to
Ways to meet people in Newmarket midweek
1
Bring an unfinished project along to the Wednesday Knit & Natter and ask someone to help you with it.
2
Join a museum tour at Palace House, at 11am or 2:30pm, and talk to the people beside you.
3
Swim the same lane session at Newmarket Leisure Centre each week.
4
Set up a Saturday morning at the market with a Newmarket woman you have found through Gofrendly.
Something for a quiet evening
The Newmarket page, written for residents
Gofrendly’s founders, Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, put the Newmarket text together with our editing team, aiming it at residents rather than racegoers.
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.