- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 17, 2026
Make Friends in Merton: Wimbledon, Mitcham and Morden
More than half of Merton homes are owner-occupied, so from Wimbledon to Mitcham people tend to stay, and the borough’s commons and parks give friendships plenty of room to grow.
218,000+
people make Merton home (ONS mid-2025 estimate)
56%
of Merton households own their home, against 45% in London (Census 2021, ONS)
45%
of Merton adults have a husband, wife or civil partner (Census 2021, ONS)
Merton friendships grow on the commons
Making friends in Merton is simplest when you pick one local spot and go back every week. Wimbledon Common has a Saturday parkrun and miles of paths, Morden Hall Park has riverside walks and a garden centre, and Merton Abbey Mills holds a weekend market by the River Wandle. Choose the one you can reach easily. Gofrendly can also point you to women in Merton who want new friends nearby.
Merton friendship questions
Where can you meet people in Merton outside Wimbledon?
Mitcham, Morden and Colliers Wood each have their own parks, commons and community centres. Morden Hall Park, Mitcham Common and Deen City Farm all have regular visitors and volunteers. Choosing activities in your own part of Merton makes repeat encounters with the same people far more likely.
Is the common a good place to meet people in Merton?
Yes, especially if you go at a regular time. The Saturday parkrun on Wimbledon Common welcomes walkers, joggers and volunteers, and the paths are busy with dog walkers and runners. In Merton, a weekly route on the common is a simple way to become a familiar face and start conversations.
How do working parents in Merton find time for friends?
Use the routines you already have: the walk to school, a children’s club or a weekend swim. Many Merton households juggle work and family, so a short coffee before work or a Sunday morning walk is often easier to agree than an evening out. Small, regular plans add up.
Is there a way to find women in Merton looking for friends?
Join something with a regular crowd, like a choir, a walking group or a volunteering team. Gofrendly, an app where women look for friends, also shows you women nearby in Merton, so you can agree a first meeting by message before you go.
Merton, from Wimbledon to Mitcham
Merton covers a lot of ground for its size. Wimbledon, Raynes Park and Wimbledon Park are leafy and busy with families and commuters, Colliers Wood and South Wimbledon move closer to the pace of inner London, and Mitcham and Morden have their own town centres, commons and markets. More than half of homes are owner-occupied, and around 45% of adults are married or in a civil partnership, so many people here are settled and juggling family and work.
That shapes when people are free: early mornings, school hours and weekend mornings are prime time for a walk or a class. Wimbledon fills with visitors every summer during the tennis, but for the rest of the year the commons belong to locals. If you have felt lonely since settling in, choose one weekly habit near your own front door and give it a few months to work. Clubs that have run for decades are worth trying, so ask whether they take newcomers. Places with loyal regulars:
1
Wimbledon Common, with heathland, woods, a windmill museum and a Saturday parkrun.
2
Morden Hall Park, a National Trust park with meadows, wetlands and the River Wandle.
3
Merton Abbey Mills, a riverside craft and food market at weekends.
4
Deen City Farm, a community farm near Morden Hall Park that welcomes volunteers.
5
Mitcham Common, a large open space for long walks and birdwatching.
LOCAL TIP
Make one of these a weekly fixture and give it time.
How to
Four moves for making friends in Merton
1
Choose a weekly routine close by, for instance parkrun on Wimbledon Common or a walk in Morden Hall Park, and keep to the same time.
2
Volunteer at Deen City Farm or with a local friends-of-the-park group, where shared tasks get people talking.
3
Search Gofrendly in Raynes Park, Colliers Wood or Mitcham for women nearby, and suggest a coffee at Merton Abbey Mills.
4
Before you leave, suggest a day for next time. Concrete plans keep busy people coming back.
Before you go
Who wrote this Merton guide
Written for women in Merton by the Gofrendly editors and founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, this page looks for the places, from the commons to the markets, where a regular habit turns into friends.
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.
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