- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 20, 2026
Make Friends in Clitheroe, in sight of the keep
More than 21% of Clitheroe is aged 65 or older, and its market opens three days a week.
17,100+
residents across the five Clitheroe wards, from Salthill to Edisford and Low Moor (Census 2021, ONS)
22%
of Clitheroe residents are 65 and over, compared with 19% in the wider North West (ONS 2021)
69%
of Clitheroe homes are owner-occupied, versus 62% regionally (2021 Census)
Clitheroe gathers at the castle
The easiest way to make friends in Clitheroe is to join something that happens every week. Clitheroe Library on Church Street runs a board games club on Monday afternoons and a craft group on Tuesdays, both free. Clitheroe Castle parkrun circles the castle grounds on Saturday mornings, starting next to the 3C’s Cafe, and the market on Station Road trades on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. A Clitheroe woman to go with is easy to find on Gofrendly.
Clitheroe, castle to market: your questions
What is there at the castle in Clitheroe?
The 16-acre castle grounds in Clitheroe have a skate park, a bandstand, a playground and the 3C’s Cafe. Clitheroe Castle Museum charges £5.20 for adults, under-18s go free, and from 1 November 2026 it opens noon to 4pm, closing on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
How often is there a market in Clitheroe?
Clitheroe Market on Station Road trades three days a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with a focus on fresh, locally sourced food. Its bull-ring stalls were revamped in a £250,000 project that also brought new paving, so the Clitheroe market has had a recent facelift.
How much is swimming in Clitheroe?
Ribblesdale Pool on Edisford Road, run by Ribble Valley Borough Council, reopens on Monday 9 November 2026 after a £4.25m refurbishment with a new roof and lining. An adult swim in Clitheroe costs £5.60, over-65s pay £4, and a family ticket for two adults and two children is £16.30.
How do women in Clitheroe get to know each other?
With Gofrendly, the women-only friendship app, Clitheroe women can look up others nearby and open with a message. Suggesting a set time, like the Monday board games club at the library or coffee after the castle parkrun, makes the first meet-up simple.
How Clitheroe friendships start
Clitheroe is a settled market town. Owner-occupiers hold more than two thirds of its homes, more than a third are owned outright, and over 21% of residents have turned 65. If you have time in the day, that works in your favour, because the library timetable has something on most weekdays and the market runs three times a week. Turn up to the same session for a month and the conversation will come more easily each time.
Retirement, a move or an empty nest can all feel lonely in a town where faces seem to know each other already. The 12th-century castle keep, one of the smallest surviving stone-built Norman keeps in England, is being restored as the first phase of a £2.3m scheme for the castle. The castle museum tells a local story going back about 350 million years, including the Mitton Hoard, and The Grand on York Street is a creative hub with music, theatre and a community choir. Worth trying:
1
The Monday board games club at Clitheroe Library.
2
Clitheroe Castle parkrun, five laps with the keep in view.
3
Saturday stalls at the market on Station Road.
4
The Grand Choir at The Grand on York Street.
5
Tech tamers on Thursday mornings, for help with a phone or tablet.
LOCAL TIP
Keep a standing Saturday at the castle and the parkrun regulars will soon be waving you over for coffee.
How to
Ways to make new friends in Clitheroe
1
Take your knitting or sketchbook to the Tuesday craft group at the library, 10am to 2pm.
2
Volunteer at Clitheroe Castle parkrun, which relied on 16 volunteers on 17 October 2026.
3
Book an aqua aerobics class once Ribblesdale Pool reopens on 9 November 2026.
4
Meet a Clitheroe woman from Gofrendly and loop round the castle grounds before the market.
Two to read with a brew
Clitheroe, and why we wrote about it
Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja founded Gofrendly, and our editors helped them write this Clitheroe page for Ribble Valley women who would love friends near enough to meet on market day.
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.