- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Worthing, from the Pier to Highdown
Worthing Pier has stood since 1862 and got its Streamline Moderne look in the 1930s, and about 34% of Worthing homes have just one name on the doorbell.
113,800+
people living in the borough of Worthing, by ONS mid-2025 estimate
34%
one-person share of Worthing households, set against 28% regionally (Census 2021, ONS)
22%
Worthing residents aged 65-plus as a share of the borough, against 19% regionwide (ONS 2021)
Worthing makes room for a weekly habit
A seat at the Silent Book Club in Worthing Library, on Fridays at 11.15am, is a calm way to make friends in Worthing. The Richmond Road library also puts on a Wednesday-morning Knit and Natter and Thursday-afternoon board games, the Wednesday market fills Montague Street all year, and Highdown Gardens costs nothing to enter. Worthing women can look each other up on Gofrendly as well.
Worthing friendship questions, pier to park
Is Highdown Gardens in Worthing free to visit?
Yes. Highdown Gardens, west of central Worthing on Littlehampton Road, charges no entry fee, takes donations and opens every day of the year. The chalk garden holds a National Collection of plants, runs a guided tour on Thursday afternoons and has openings for volunteers who like to garden with company.
When is Worthing parkrun back on the promenade?
Worthing parkrun paused in September 2026 while heat network works dug up the promenade and the start of its course, with a return planned for late October. Check the Worthing parkrun page before you set off, because the restart depends on the works.
What groups meet at Worthing Library?
Worthing Library on Richmond Road has a Wednesday-morning Knit and Natter, a Silent Book Club on Friday mornings, board games on Thursday afternoons and Mah Jong on Tuesday afternoons. Each one meets weekly, which makes Worthing’s library a good place to see familiar faces.
Can I find Worthing women who live near me?
Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app on which Worthing women can spot neighbours, from the town centre to Goring or Broadwater, and a message is all it takes to suggest meeting. The Palm Court in Beach House Park is a calm spot for that first coffee.
How Worthing fits friendship into the week
Worthing runs along the coast between the South Downs and the sea, its 1862 pier rebuilt in Streamline Moderne style after a fire in 1933, and it has twice been named Pier of the Year. Across the borough, roughly a third of households hold a single resident and 22% of people have passed their 65th birthday, comfortably ahead of the regional averages. For anyone whose days are now their own, a fixed slot each week turns strangers into faces you expect to see.
A seafront can feel lonely out of season, when the deckchairs go in. Worthing Museum and Art Gallery reopened in March 2026 after a year of work, the Connaught Theatre and the Pavilion Theatre keep the evenings busy, and Splashpoint Leisure Centre on Brighton Road has the pool. Worthing parkrun on the promenade has been paused for heat network works, so check its page for the restart date before you lace up. A few starting points:
1
Worthing Library on Richmond Road, with Mah Jong on Tuesday afternoons.
2
Highdown Gardens, a chalk garden with guided tours on Thursdays.
3
Beach House Park, where the public can pay and play on the bowling greens.
4
The Wednesday market on Montague Street.
5
Worthing Museum and Art Gallery, open Wednesday to Saturday.
LOCAL TIP
Give one Worthing library group a whole month of Wednesdays or Fridays before you judge it.
How to
Worthing: ways to meet women by the sea
1
Book a Thursday tour at Highdown Gardens and ask about volunteering there.
2
Turn up to Mah Jong at Worthing Library, even if you have never played.
3
On Gofrendly, say hello to a Worthing woman and propose the Palm Court café in Beach House Park.
4
Walk the length of the pier on a Wednesday after the market on Montague Street.
Two reads for the bus home
Behind our page on Worthing
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja put this Worthing page together alongside the editorial team, for seaside women who live solo, have retired from work or would welcome company along the coast.
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.