Mature Dating in North Devon, Close to Home

Barnstaple and Bideford together give North Devon a good-sized group of Mature Westcountry Singles members, nearly all of them 55 or over. Barnstaple has a few more women than men, Bideford a few more men than women, so across the area the balance comes out fairly even. If you are looking for dating in North Devon with people of your own generation, there is no need to look to Exeter first.

Why North Devon singles are better off searching locally

Anyone who lives up here knows the road to Tiverton and the motorway by heart. It is a fine drive once in a while. It is not a drive you want to make for a first coffee with someone you have only exchanged a few messages with. On a big national site, "near you" seen from Barnstaple can easily turn out to mean Taunton or Plymouth.

Here you set the distance yourself. Keep it to the towns between the two estuaries and the edge of Exmoor, and every face in your results belongs to someone you could actually meet for lunch on a Tuesday.

Along the Taw: Barnstaple and Braunton

Barnstaple is the area's market town and its natural centre, with the most members of anywhere in North Devon. The old Long Bridge, the Pannier Market and the riverside give it a compact, walkable heart. Braunton, just along the estuary, leads out to the dunes at Braunton Burrows and the long beach at Saunton Sands.

Along the Torridge: Bideford, Instow and Appledore

Bideford has a group of members of its own, with a slight lean towards men. The quay, the long bridge across the river and the little streets climbing the hill make it a pleasant place to meet. Instow and Appledore face each other across the water where the two rivers join the sea.

The coast and the edge of the moor

Ilfracombe looks out from its harbour towards Wales, with Lynton and Lynmouth further along under Exmoor. South Molton is the gateway to the moor on the inland side. And out west, Hartland feels like the end of England, with its cliffs, its quay and its lighthouse on the point.

Your own generation, on your own doorstep

North Devon is a mature part of a mature site. The people here are mostly in their late fifties, sixties and seventies, roughly split between those aged 55 to 64 and those over 65. There is a small group in their late forties and early fifties around Barnstaple, and very few younger.

It suits people who have built a life around the coast and the countryside and now want someone to share the walks, the weekends and the quieter evenings. If you are over 70 and wondering whether there is anyone for you, there is: our page on dating over 70 was written with you in mind, and dating over 50 covers the earlier decades.

First meetings that feel like North Devon

• The riverside in Barnstaple, then a coffee near the Pannier Market. You are never more than a few steps from people.
• Instow's seafront looking across to Appledore, flat, open and calm on a still day.
• Ilfracombe harbour, with the boats, the pier and the cliffs above to give the conversation somewhere to go.
• The Valley of Rocks above Lynton, for two walkers who have already met once and want a longer afternoon.
• South Molton's square on market day, simple and sociable for anyone on the Exmoor side.

The coast path is beautiful and can be lonely. For a first meeting, pick somewhere busy, keep to daylight, drive yourself, and tell someone where you are going. The safety page explains how the site protects your details, and the first date ideas for over 50s has more across the region.

Towns and villages we cover

• Barnstaple
• Bideford
• Ilfracombe
• Braunton
• South Molton
• Hartland
• Torrington
• Instow
• Appledore
• Lynton
• Combe Martin
• Holsworthy

North Devon is one part of our page on mature dating in Devon, the biggest county on the site. If you live near Bude or Holsworthy, the north of Cornwall is close too, and every place we cover is listed on the locations page.