Find like-minded companions
Whether you are looking for company on a local bike ride or a longer trip, perhaps for a weekend break or a holiday, there are plenty of ways of finding someone. And for singles looking for a life partner, then it does seem to make sense to look for a common interest.
Cycling groups
Activity networks
Friendship and dating agencies
Cycling groups
Membership of local, regional and national cycling associations, catering for everyday cyclists, mountain bikers, tourers and racers, are an obvious way to meet others, either cycling or socially.
British Cycling and the Cycling UK (formerly the Cyclists Touring Club or CTC) have subsections for different interests; additionally there are specialist groups such as the International Mountain Biking Association (UK section) and British Mountain Bike Orienteering. On a very local level, cycling campaigns to improve facilities in a town also draw together people who might not otherwise meet, other than at a cycle rack.
If you cant find a kindred spirit amongst the local membership, then the national cycling and other sports organisations publish membership magazines or newsletters with information about events and often classified ads, including personal columns. Websites and online forums also broaden the scope for meeting up.
Activity networks
There are also local and national socialising circles for singles or not, often based on outdoor activities, offering day and weekend trips of fun and adventure, such as Spice UK or Outdoor Adventures Meetup. Facebook and other social networking websites might also come up trumps if you use the right keywords in the search field.
Friendship and dating agencies
The next step is a friendship or dating agency – there are scores of these aimed at different age groups and interests, but they vary in cost and quality. Often they cater for companionship as well as romance. The first thing to check is the country/ies they include and where the majority of their subscribers live, since the largest English-speaking market is the USA and you will probably want to restrict yourself to the UK. Any other tips? Please share them in the comments section below.
The following are friendship and dating agencies (in alphabetical order) we’ve found that cater for UK residents:
- be2 for relationships – uses personality tests.
- Cupid for friendship and dating.
- Cupid Dating for dating.
- Dating for Parents – pretty self explanatory!
- eHarmony for singles looking for long-term relationships. You subscribe but have 7 days to cancel for a full refund. First you register and create your profile, then are given the option of which payment plan to choose before you browse potential matches.
- Love and Friends: lists graduates and professionals.
- Match – just register, create a profile and then browse the dating profiles of potential matches.
- Match Affinity suggests compatible matches based on your personality report (generated from a questionnaire on your values, opinions, personality and expectations). First contact with a suggested match is free.
- Mature Dating UK – for 40 yr olds and over.
- Parship – described as the serious dating site. For those looking for long-term relationships.