Real advice for dating where you live
Most dating advice is written for London. It assumes a dozen bars on every street, a tube home and thousands of singles within a mile. Dating in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset or around Bristol is different. Distances are longer, towns are smaller and the person you click with may live on the other side of a moor. These guides are written for that: practical, honest and rooted in the places our members actually live.
Each one starts with a short, direct answer, then goes into the detail for anyone who wants it. Nothing here is sponsored, and where another site or app would suit you better, we say so.
Guides worth reading before your next date
Is Westcountry Singles legit?
Who runs the site, who the members are, how scams are tackled and how paid memberships renew and cancel.
Best dating sites in the South West
What to look for in a dating site outside the big cities, and a fair look at who each of the main options suits.
Is there a dating site for country people?
Muddy Matches, Country Partners, Hinge and Westcountry Singles side by side, for farmers and everyone who lives down a long lane.
Speed dating and singles nights
Where speed dating runs in Bristol, Bath, Exeter, Plymouth and Cornwall, what it is like and how to find an event.
First date ideas in the South West
Relaxed, public places to meet, from the Royal Crescent and Bristol harbourside to the moors and the coast.
Weighing up the big dating apps?
If you are deciding between Westcountry Singles and one of the national names, our dating site comparisons set us side by side with Match, Tinder, Hinge and Facebook Dating. They are written to help you choose, including when one of the big apps is the better fit.
Find dating advice for your own area
Every county and city we cover has its own page, with the towns worth including in your search, local first-date ideas and some of the members who live there. Start with dating in the South West and pick your area, from Plymouth and Exeter to Truro, Taunton, Bath and Weymouth.
Stay safe while you meet people
Whatever you read here, the basics stay the same: keep the conversation on the site until you have met, meet somewhere public, make your own way there and never send money to someone you met online. Our safety advice sets it all out in a few minutes.
Put the advice to use
Create your profile, choose your town and start meeting South West singles who live near you.
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