- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 17, 2026
Make Friends in Barnet: From Mill Hill to East Barnet
More than 400,000 people live in Barnet, in neighbourhoods as different as Golders Green, Whetstone and Burnt Oak, so the trick is to find your circle close to home.
408,000+
residents, according to the ONS mid-2025 population estimate
1 in 3
Barnet households rents from a private landlord (Census 2021, ONS)
28%
of households are one person on their own (Census 2021, ONS)
In Barnet, friendships grow neighbourhood by neighbourhood
Making friends in Barnet works best when your own neighbourhood is the starting point rather than the whole borough. A Saturday parkrun at Oak Hill Park in East Barnet, a walk along the Dollis Valley Greenwalk or a show at artsdepot in North Finchley will put you among the same faces week after week. Choose the one nearest to you and go regularly. On Gofrendly you can see which women nearby are looking for friends too.
Common questions about friendship in Barnet
Is Barnet a good place to make friends if you rent?
Yes. About a third of Barnet households rent privately, so plenty of your neighbours have also moved in recently. Renters tend to say yes to plans quickly, which makes it easier to turn a first meeting into a regular one. Start with the clubs and classes nearest your flat.
Where can you meet people in Barnet without a car?
Stick to one Northern line branch or bus route. Barnet’s town centres, from Golders Green to North Finchley, each have parks, cafés and classes within walking distance, and the Dollis Valley Greenwalk links several of them on foot. Local plans are the ones that last.
What can you do in Barnet on a Saturday morning to meet people?
Parkrun at Oak Hill Park in East Barnet is the easiest start: turn up, run, jog or walk 5k, and stay for a coffee afterwards. Volunteering at parkrun is another way in. Weekend markets and park cafés across Barnet are also good for seeing the same faces.
How do you turn a one-off meeting into a friendship in Barnet?
Suggest the second plan before the first one ends, and keep it close to where you both live. In a borough as spread out as Barnet, distance quietly ends friendships. Gofrendly, the friendship app for women, can show you who lives nearby, which makes repeat plans easier.
What social life in Barnet looks like
Barnet is big and varied. Around a third of households rent privately, which means a steady flow of people arriving and settling in, while just over half own their home and have been around for years. Both groups are looking for company, just in different ways. Newer arrivals often say yes to plans quickly, and residents who have lived here longer tend to know where the good clubs, choirs and volunteering groups are. Mixing the two is a shortcut.
Distances matter here, so stay local. If you live around Finchley or Whetstone, the high streets and green corridors are close at hand. Further out in Mill Hill or Edgware, parks and sports clubs do more of the work. Barnet can feel lonely when the friends you already have live at the other end of the Northern line, which is exactly why one plan within walking distance is worth more than three across town. Where the same faces tend to turn up:
1
Oak Hill Park in East Barnet, where a parkrun starts every Saturday morning.
2
The Dollis Valley Greenwalk, a long walking route that follows Dollis Brook through the borough.
3
artsdepot in North Finchley, an arts centre with a theatre, classes and a café.
4
Finchley Lido Leisure Centre, with indoor pools and an outdoor pool in summer.
5
Barnet Market in Chipping Barnet, a weekly market with a long history.
LOCAL TIP
Choose one within walking distance and treat it as a weekly appointment.
How to
How to build a circle in Barnet, step by step
1
Join a weekly fixture close to home, such as parkrun at Oak Hill Park or a class at artsdepot, so meeting people is part of your routine.
2
Look on Gofrendly for women in your part of the borough, whether that is Hendon, New Barnet or Mill Hill, and suggest a walk on the Greenwalk.
3
Say yes to the small invitations: the coffee after the class, the drink after the quiz. That is where a familiar face becomes a friend.
4
Keep plans local so they survive busy weeks. A friend ten minutes away is one you will actually see.
Good reads on friendship
Who wrote this
Written by the Gofrendly editors, with founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, for women in Barnet who would rather build friendships close to home than cross London for every plan.
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.