- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 20, 2026
Make Friends in Catterick Garrison, posting or not
Catterick Garrison is a young town, and in nearly 24% of its homes a married couple is raising school-age or younger children.
14,000+
usual residents in the census area that covers Catterick Garrison and Colburn, including people living in barracks (Census 2021, ONS)
24%
is the married-couple-with-dependent-children share of Catterick Garrison households, against 13% regionwide (Census 2021)
36%
of households here are private renters, almost twice the Yorkshire and the Humber level (ONS 2021)
Catterick Garrison is used to newcomers
The simplest way to make friends in Catterick Garrison is to use the places where families already cross paths. The leisure centre on Gough Road has three pools and up to 50 classes a week, and the community library is inside the same building. In Colburn, the village hall serves a community breakfast on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Gofrendly helps you track down a Catterick Garrison woman who wants company too.
What newcomers to Catterick Garrison ask
What hours does the library in Catterick Garrison keep?
Catterick community library on Gough Road in Catterick Garrison opens on Monday and Wednesday from 10am to 5pm, Thursday from 10am to 6pm, Friday from 2pm to 5pm and Saturday from 10am to 1pm. It is closed on Tuesdays and Sundays.
Where can I do a parkrun from Catterick Garrison?
Catterick parkrun at the racecourse is closed until further notice, so runners from Catterick Garrison head to Thorp Perrow parkrun at the arboretum near Bedale or to Northallerton parkrun at Hambleton Leisure Centre. Both runs begin at nine on Saturday mornings.
Is there another library near Catterick Garrison?
Yes. Colburn community library on The Broadway, a short drive from Catterick Garrison, is run by volunteers in partnership with North Yorkshire Council and has free parking. It opens on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons, Thursday and Friday mornings, and Saturday from 10am to noon.
How do women new to Catterick Garrison find friends?
Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app that shows women based in and near Catterick Garrison, so you can browse profiles of women living nearby and message one or two of them. Suggest a swim or a class at the leisure centre on Gough Road so the first meeting comes with a plan.
Making friends around a garrison town
Catterick Garrison is younger than most of North Yorkshire. In nearly 24% of homes a married or civil partnered couple is raising dependent children, roughly a fifth of everyone here is between 25 and 34, and about 36% of households rent from a private landlord. If you have arrived with a posting, or married into one, look for friendships through the children, the gym and the school gate, and do not wait to be asked. Say hello first; in a town shaped by postings, the mum beside you at the gate could have arrived last month too.
Moving here while a partner is away on exercise can be lonely, so give yourself some fixed points in the week. The community library on Gough Road stays open until 6pm on Thursdays, the Savoy cinema at Princes Gate reopened in 2024, and the town centre is being redeveloped, including a new square on Shute Road planned for markets and music. Places worth a first visit:
1
A swim or a studio class at the Gough Road leisure centre.
2
The Tuesday or Thursday breakfast at Colburn Village Hall.
3
Thursday afternoon sequence dancing at the same hall.
4
Thorp Perrow parkrun on the trails of the arboretum near Bedale.
5
A film night at the Savoy cinema at Princes Gate.
LOCAL TIP
Try a simple hello at the pool or the breakfast table; in a garrison town it is the quickest way past the first awkward week.
How to
Meeting people in Catterick Garrison after a move
1
Pick one of the leisure centre classes and book the same slot every week for a month.
2
Go to Colburn Village Hall for the community breakfast, served from 9am to 11am.
3
Drive to Thorp Perrow parkrun, which counted 142 finishers on its most recent run.
4
Contact a Catterick Garrison woman via Gofrendly and arrange a coffee after the morning drop-off.
Two reads before you go
Catterick Garrison page credits from our team
Our editors helped Gofrendly’s founders, Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja, write this Catterick Garrison page about the pools, halls and weekly breakfasts that help new arrivals in a garrison town find their 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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