- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Andover, a Test Valley market town
One Andover household in five rents from a social landlord, clearly more than in the South East, with plenty going on to help newcomers settle in.
50,800+
residents across the six Andover town wards (ONS, Census 2021)
20%
of Andover homes are rented socially; South East: 14% (ONS, 2021)
37%
of Andover’s residents are aged from 25 to 49; South East: 32% (2021 census)
Andover meets at the library on Fridays
The Marigold Club, a Friday morning social club for adults at Andover Library, is a welcoming way to make friends in Andover for just £1 a session. The library, upstairs in the Chantry Centre, also hosts the Bookabout book group, and the High Street market runs every Thursday and Saturday. On Gofrendly, Andover women can arrange to meet up as well.
Andover, from the market to the river
When are the markets in Andover?
Andover has a High Street market every Thursday and Saturday, a market outside the Chantry Centre on Fridays and Second Sundays on the High Street from March to December. An indoor pop-up runs in the Chantry Centre on the first Saturday, giving Andover plenty of browsing days.
Is Andover Museum free?
Yes, Andover Museum at 6 Church Close is open to all without charge or booking, from Friday to Sunday. The Museum of the Iron Age in the same building charges adults £5. Councils considered funding in 2026 to keep both open in Andover.
Where do Andover parkrunners gather?
Andover parkrun is held at Charlton Playing Fields, at the north-western edge of Andover, at 9am every Saturday. Runners and walkers of every pace take part, and the regulars soon recognise new faces, which makes it a friendly start to a Saturday.
How can women who moved to Andover for work make friends?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, helps women who moved to Andover for work see who lives nearby and trade a few messages before meeting. A stroll by the Rooksbury Mill lakes or a coffee before the Thursday market is a good first plan.
Andover, a town on the River Anton
Andover sits on the River Anton in Test Valley, near Danebury hillfort, whose story is told at the Museum of the Iron Age. In the six town wards, about 20% of households are social tenants and roughly 37% of people are between 25 and 49, both higher than the South East. If a job or a new home brought you here, plenty of others are building a circle too.
A move for work can leave you lonely until you find your routine. Rooksbury Mill Local Nature Reserve, with two lakes, a stretch of river and wet woodland, won a 2026 Green Flag, and Andover Museum in Church Close opens without charge from Friday to Sunday. The Lights theatre on West Street stages more than 200 shows a year, with a larger venue planned for 2028. The Ladies Walk avenue was planted in 1863 and suits pushchairs and wheelchairs. Places to begin:
1
Andover Library in the Chantry Centre, with the Marigold Club.
2
The High Street market on Thursdays and Saturdays.
3
Rooksbury Mill Local Nature Reserve and Watermills Park.
4
Andover Museum in Church Close, free to enter.
5
The Lights theatre on West Street.
LOCAL TIP
Walk the river path from Town Mills to Rooksbury Mill with a neighbour.
How to
Andover: how to make friends around town
1
Go to the Bookabout drop-in book group on the second Thursday.
2
Run or walk Andover parkrun at Charlton on Saturday.
3
Browse the Second Sundays market with Andover women from Gofrendly.
4
Book a show at The Lights and stay for a drink.
Feeling apart among friends, and a new-city friendship
Andover: our authors
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, together with our editors, created the Andover guide for Test Valley women who moved for work, rent their home or are bringing up a family.
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.