- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 20, 2026
Make Friends in Dulwich, a lap of the park at a time
More than half of the homes in Dulwich are owner-occupied, and its Saturday parkrun drew over 800 finishers in October 2026.
30,400+
residents in the Dulwich Village, Dulwich Wood and Dulwich Hill wards (Census 2021, ONS)
56%
of Dulwich homes are owner-occupied, against 45% for London overall (Census 2021)
20%
of Dulwich households are a husband and wife or civil partners with dependants, above London’s 16% (ONS 2021)
Dulwich runs on Saturday mornings
The quickest way to make friends in Dulwich is Dulwich parkrun, just under three laps of Carriage Drive in Dulwich Park every Saturday, with a smooth surface suitable for wheelchairs and buggies. Afterwards, the Sculpture Garden at Dulwich Picture Gallery is open every day from 8am until 5pm. Grove Vale Library in East Dulwich runs a monthly book group on third Wednesdays. Gofrendly can connect you with a Dulwich woman for the next lap.
Dulwich, the details
Which parkruns are close to Dulwich?
Dulwich parkrun covers just under three laps of Carriage Drive in Dulwich Park every Saturday, on a smooth surface. Brockwell parkrun in Herne Hill, about 1.5km west, does two tarmac laps from near Brockwell Hall, and Peckham Rye parkrun, under 2km away, gives Dulwich runners three flat laps instead.
When is the gallery sculpture garden in Dulwich open?
The Sculpture Garden at Dulwich Picture Gallery covers three acres and opens every day from 8am to 5pm, and it includes the Lovington Sculpture Meadow by Kim Wilkie. It sits on Gallery Road in Dulwich Village, between West Dulwich and North Dulwich stations.
Where can I swim in or near Dulwich?
Dulwich Leisure Centre on Crystal Palace Road in East Dulwich has a pool, a gym, boxing, yoga and Pilates, and has been part of the community since 1892. It is one of the council-run Move Southwark centres, and eligible residents can swim at no cost.
Is it possible to make friends in Dulwich around a full-time job and children?
Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app where Dulwich women can find neighbours close by and write to them at any hour. If you have children, a Saturday parkrun with the buggy or a weekend picnic in the park is a first plan that fits around family time.
How Dulwich friendships form
Dulwich has plenty of families. More than half of all homes here are owner-occupied, close to 20% of homes house wedded parents whose kids still depend on them, and over a fifth of people living here are under 16, while only about 6% are aged 18 to 24. If your days revolve around schools, sports clubs and the park, the easiest way in is to attach yourself to one of those weekly rhythms instead of waiting for a dinner invitation.
Half-term and long holidays can feel lonely when the school gate goes quiet. Dulwich Park has the parkrun and wide lawns, Belair Park lies to the west, and the Sculpture Garden at Dulwich Picture Gallery includes the Lovington Sculpture Meadow. Grove Vale Library in East Dulwich runs a monthly book group for readers who like a set date in the diary, and Dulwich Leisure Centre on Crystal Palace Road has a pool plus yoga and Pilates classes. Good starting points:
1
Dulwich parkrun on Carriage Drive.
2
A wander through the Sculpture Garden at Dulwich Picture Gallery.
3
The third-Wednesday book group run by Grove Vale Library.
4
Yoga and Pilates at Dulwich Leisure Centre.
5
A weekend walk across Belair Park.
LOCAL TIP
Stay for the post-run coffee on three consecutive Saturdays and you will be on first-name terms with half the finish funnel.
How to
Dulwich ideas for meeting new friends
1
Volunteer at Dulwich parkrun, where 36 people helped on 17 October 2026.
2
Take a picnic to the Lovington Sculpture Meadow in the gallery grounds.
3
Join the book group run by Grove Vale Library on the third Wednesday at 6pm.
4
Arrange a Sunday stroll in Dulwich Park with a Dulwich woman you find through Gofrendly.
A pair of reads for half-term
Dulwich page, by our writers
Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, who started Gofrendly, wrote this page about Dulwich with our editors, for women between the park and the woods who would like company for the weekends.
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.