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- Friendship, not dating
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- Local guide
- October 21, 2026
Make Friends After 40 in Aberdeen with a New Hobby
Aberdeen’s count of women aged 40 to 49 has risen by a tenth since 2015, while Scotland’s has fallen, so a new class rarely means being the only one your age.
230,000+
people living in Aberdeen City (NRS estimate for mid-2025)
15,400+
Aberdeen women in their forties, 10% more than in 2015, while Scotland’s total fell by 9% (NRS)
13%
of Aberdeen’s women are 40 to 49, over the Scottish share of 12% (NRS mid-2025)
Aberdeen has room for a new hobby in your 40s
Once children in Aberdeen are old enough to manage an evening without you, in your 40s this is a good time to take up a hobby and meet people through it. North East Scotland College runs evening courses at its Aberdeen City Campus, including painting, flower arranging and conversational French, and the Aberdeen Bach Choir rehearses on Tuesday nights at Mannofield Church. Gofrendly shows which women near you are picking up something new as well.
Hobbies after 40 in Aberdeen: common questions
Which evening courses does the college run in Aberdeen?
North East Scotland College runs part-time evening courses at its Aberdeen City Campus, including acrylic and oil painting, flower arranging, creative writing for beginners, conversational French and basic sewing. The courses named cost from £71 to £167, with intakes in September, January and later in the year.
Is there an Aberdeen choir that rehearses on weeknights?
Aberdeen Bach Choir rehearses on Tuesday evenings, 7.30 until 9.30, at The Sanctuary, Mannofield Church. It does not audition, but singers need to read notation and sing in tune, and the 2025 to 2026 subscription was £65, or £45 for concessions.
In their 40s and new to a hobby: how do Aberdeen women find friends?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lists Aberdeen women close by who want friends too, so you can say hello by message first. Mentioning a shared hobby, such as a college course or a Saturday 5k, makes the first meeting easier to plan.
Which Aberdeen parks have Green Flag status?
Duthie Park, Hazlehead Park, Seaton Park, Johnstone Gardens, Victoria Park and Westfield Park are among the Aberdeen green spaces on the Keep Scotland Beautiful Green Flag list. Any of them suits a weekend stroll with a classmate or fellow singer.
Aberdeen friendships through a shared interest
Aberdeen has gained women in their 40s over the past decade, while their number fell across Scotland. If your teenagers now want lifts rather than company, you may have an evening or two a week to yourself. A course, a choir or a club gives that time a shape, and it puts you alongside the same adults every week, and that repetition turns acquaintances into friends over a term.
Trying something new at 45 can feel exposing, and the first weeks may be lonely if everyone else seems to know each other. Choose a course for beginners, where nobody is expected to be good yet. College classes in the city start at set points in the year, and choirs welcome new singers at the start of a term. You can make friends after 40 here by turning up, being a little brave and staying to talk afterwards. Pick something you have always wanted to try. Some places to try:
1
North East Scotland College evening classes at the Aberdeen City Campus, from painting to sewing.
2
Aberdeen Bach Choir, Tuesday evenings at The Sanctuary, Mannofield Church, for singers familiar with notation.
3
Aberdeen parkrun on the Beach Esplanade, every Saturday from 9.30am.
4
Hazlehead Park, one of several Aberdeen parks with a Green Flag Award.
5
Aberdeen Art Gallery on Schoolhill, free to enter and open seven days a week.
LOCAL TIP
Choose one, sign up for the full course and see who you are sitting beside by week four.
How to
Ways to meet people in Aberdeen through a hobby
1
Book a beginners’ evening course at the college’s City Campus and swap numbers with someone at your table.
2
If you are familiar with written music, join the Aberdeen Bach Choir at the start of a term.
3
Pick out Aberdeen women on Gofrendly with the same new hobby and walk in Hazlehead Park together.
4
Join Aberdeen parkrun on the esplanade at any pace and ask who else is new.
A story, and where apps fit in
Aberdeen guide, written by our team
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote about Aberdeen with our editors, focusing on mums whose children need them a little less and who want to try a new hobby among new people.
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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