- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Witney, Blanket Town on the Windrush
Cogges Manor Farm in Witney doubled as Yew Tree Farm in Downton Abbey, and social landlords house about 16% of Witney households.
29,600+
residents counted across the Witney Central to Witney West wards in 2021 (ONS census)
16%
social-rent share among Witney homes, two points over the South East’s 14% (ONS, Census 2021)
13%
of households in the town are cohabiting couples; regional rate 11% (ONS, 2021)
Witney has a crafty side
Crafternoon at Witney Library, an adults-only afternoon once a month where you bring your own project, is a sociable way to make friends in Witney. The Welch Way library also hosts a reading group and an evening creative writing group, Market Square hosts the charter market twice weekly, and Witney parkrun sets off from Burford Road at 9am. Gofrendly offers Witney women another way to meet.
Witney friendship: what readers ask
What is Crafternoon at Witney Library?
Crafternoon is an adults-only drop-in at Witney Library on Welch Way, held on a Monday afternoon each month from 2pm to 4pm in the Witan Room. You bring your own knitting, sewing or other craft and work alongside others, which makes conversation easy in Witney.
Which days is Witney’s charter market?
Witney Charter Market sets up on Thursdays and Saturdays in Market Square, run by Cotswold Markets since August 2025. A farmers’ market also comes to Witney on the fourth Friday of each month, which gives a second regular reason to head into town.
Can you visit Cogges in Witney without a ticket?
The Cogges Kitchen café at Cogges Manor Farm in Witney is open daily and needs no ticket, while the grounds and manor house have paid entry. The farm was used as Yew Tree Farm in Downton Abbey and also looks for volunteers.
How can women in Witney meet neighbours?
Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app that shows Witney women who lives close by, from Cogges to the western edge of town, and a single message is enough to set up meeting. Coffee at Cogges Kitchen or a lap of Witney Lake is an easy first plan.
Witney friendship, from blankets to Cogges
Witney grew on the River Windrush as a wool and blanket town, and Cogges Manor Farm is a working historic farm with a café anyone can visit. In the five town wards, social tenants occupy about 16% of homes and some 13% of households are cohabiting partners, and both shares top the South East. For renters and couples setting up home, a weekly group of your own gives friendships room to grow, and the Windrush footpaths give you somewhere to walk afterwards.
A market town can feel lonely midweek once the visitors have gone. Witney Library reopened after a major refurbishment with new study space, Windrush Leisure Centre on Witan Way runs aqua classes in its pool, and Witney Town Council welcomes volunteers at Witney Lake and Country Park. The Corn Exchange now has retractable tiered seating for about 130 people at performances. Cogges Kitchen needs no ticket. Places to try:
1
Witney Library on Welch Way, with Crafternoon and a reading group.
2
Cogges Manor Farm and the Cogges Kitchen café.
3
Witney Lake and Country Park, with town council volunteering.
4
The charter market in Market Square on Thursdays and Saturdays.
5
Windrush Leisure Centre on Witan Way.
LOCAL TIP
Take a craft project to a Witney Crafternoon and come back the following month.
How to
Make friends in Witney with a monthly plan
1
Join the Witney Reading Group on the second Tuesday morning.
2
Register with the town council to volunteer at Witney Lake.
3
Through Gofrendly, ask a Witney woman along for a pot of tea at Cogges Kitchen.
4
Walk or jog Witney parkrun and take a turn in a hi-vis bib once a month.
A pair of reads for the weekend
Who put together our Witney page
Our editors and Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote this Witney guide for Oxfordshire women who rent, have set up home as a couple or hope to grow a circle beside the Windrush.
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.