- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 17, 2026
Make Friends in Cumbria, between the fells and the coast
A quarter of Cumbria’s people are 65 or over, and its towns are spread out across lakes, fells and coastline.
513,000+
people across Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness, the two councils that replaced Cumbria County Council in 2023 (ONS mid-2025)
25.6%
of Cumbria’s population is 65 or older, against the North West’s 19.1% (ONS mid-2025)
42.6%
of Cumbria homes are owned outright by their occupiers, compared with 33.3% regionally (Census 2021, ONS)
Cumbria friendships begin with a shared walk
To make friends in Cumbria, settle on one weekly plan near home and keep it going through the seasons. A Saturday walk round Derwentwater, a class at Brewery Arts in Kendal or a volunteer shift in Carlisle gives you the same people to see, and familiarity does the rest. Towns are far apart here, so local beats ambitious. Gofrendly helps women in Cumbria find others who live within reach.
Cumbria questions from newcomers and locals
Does this Cumbria page include the whole county?
Yes. This Cumbria page covers both councils that replaced the county council in 2023, Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness, so it runs from Carlisle and the west coast to Kendal, Penrith and Barrow-in-Furness. The figures on the page add the two council areas together.
Can you join a walking group in Cumbria if you are new to the fells?
Yes. When you contact a walking group in Cumbria, ask whether it has shorter low-level routes as well as longer hill days. Lakeshore paths and country parks make a gentle start, and walking with others means you are not the only one choosing the way.
Can you find friends close to home across Cumbria?
On Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, Cumbria women within reach can send each other a message before meeting. In a county this spread out, starting with someone in your own town makes a weekly walk or coffee far easier to keep up through the year.
Where can you meet someone new in Cumbria on a rainy day?
Tullie in Carlisle and Brewery Arts in Kendal both have cafés and plenty to look at indoors. In Cumbria, a gallery visit or a film followed by a hot drink makes a comfortable first meet-up when the fells are hidden in cloud.
Cumbria away from the postcards
Cumbria is now run by two councils, Cumberland in the north and west and Westmorland and Furness in the south and east, and the figures here cover both. Carlisle, Workington, Whitehaven, Penrith, Kendal and Barrow-in-Furness are the main towns, with the Lake District between them. Distances are long and winter weather can make longer trips harder, so a social life works best when it is built around your own town or valley.
Age shapes the county a great deal: a quarter of residents have reached 65, and more than four households in ten own their home outright. Dark, wet winter evenings in particular can feel lonely for a newcomer, or for anyone whose friends are busy with family. Give yourself one standing weekly date, such as fell walking with a club, a choir rehearsal, an early swim or an afternoon at a community garden. Try these as your starting points:
1
Derwentwater at Keswick, with lakeshore paths and, for much of the year, a launch round the lake.
2
Theatre by the Lake in Keswick, which stages plays through much of the year.
3
Tullie in Carlisle, the museum and art gallery close to the castle.
4
Brewery Arts in Kendal, with cinema, theatre and classes.
5
Talkin Tarn Country Park near Brampton, a small lake with a walk all the way round.
LOCAL TIP
Try the closest one and keep going back.
How to
Meeting people in Cumbria when towns are far apart
1
Choose something in your own town so the journey never becomes a reason to skip it.
2
Suggest a lap of Talkin Tarn or a lakeshore stroll to someone you see each week.
3
Message women close to you in Cumbria on Gofrendly and arrange a coffee where you live.
4
Volunteer a few hours each month at a community garden, a museum or a local charity.
For the long winter evenings
Written for Cumbria by our founders
Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, Gofrendly’s founders, wrote this Cumbria page, working with our editors. It treats lakes, small towns and arts venues as settings where women can meet and keep in touch through the year.
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.