to try and make new friends in my 30's.

Another vote for a running club. I was 23 when I joined and I made friends with people in their 30's, 40's and 50's. Running is a great leveller, you meet people with a similar interest to you but who have very different jobs, lifestykes etc. You can go to races with and socialise and runnibg people are always up for a party! I've stayed constant friends with a few and now class myself as a 'Social Member' following an ankle injury then having a baby. My Mum had actually joined the running group a few months ago after my Dad died and she said it's been very welcoming.

Second meet up.

My top advice is do something you love and bring ten pinches of salt. So be prepared to join lots of groups and kiss lots of frogs. Groups are a good start because, at a minimum, those people are looking for interaction too and like that activity.

I think friendships are actually, really hard. Everyone wants making friends to be easy but making long-term friends is not so simple. (nurture your long-time friends; make time for video calls and coffees and meet-ups)

Friendships are as tough as finding a new lover but without the extra gloss of potential (romantic) relationships which smoothes over the twingey misgivings and powers you past the initial, minor turn-offs until your interactions develop depth and connection.

I have learned so much from observing my DDs' social interactions. It has explained so much about my past social interactions.

My experience has been that most 'friendships' are actually situationships: you work together or have small children together or go to a club/class together or you bond some other way, potentially traumatic, but it is for the situation. My take is: enjoy these. Have a great time chatting/catching up with people in your art/yoga/cooking class but be prepared for these 'friendships' to peter out when the situation ends - this is the very definition of work friendships.

Oooo, I might give Grounded Connections ago then, thanks for the heads up! I'm based near Stockport, close to the Peak District so might be plenty of meet ups that way for outdoor groups.

I'm in my 50s and have recently made loads of new friends by joining a sports club.

I’ve met friends through amateur dramatics. You don’t have to go on stage - costume/crew/backstage/set making/props etc. There’s always a wide variety of ages and there also tends to be an active social scene too! Lots of pub visits after rehearsals etc. I’m involved with a couple and they’re all very welcoming to newcomers.

Im finding myself in a similar situation, struggling with infertility, waiting for an operation and feeling like life is on hold, lonely and missing being with a group of friends. I WFH which doesn't help.
Did you end up joining Grounded Connections and go on a meet? I've thought about it but wasn't sure if it seemed worth it. Would love to hear your experience though!

You could try something like meetup.com? Just start with the rambles or cinema trips with a few to getting out. My hairdresser swears by his local group as he loves cycling and rambling and has got to know people to go to the pub with etc.

It's totally possible to make new friends in your 30s and beyond. I think it's more easily done through hobbies and shared interests rather than meet up groups and apps, in my experience anyway.

I moved to my area as an adult so I don’t have a network of friends outside of current/former colleagues here. I am close to about four of them - three who I still work with (but pretty much only see at work) & the other who I meet for a coffee/dinner once a month or so.

I have children but I work full time so I’m not especially close with any mums from school either. We do go out a couple of times a year together.

I know and like a lot of people but I don’t see a lot of them enough to become firm friends. I have found seeing the same group of women twice a week every week a pretty fast way to make friends. I think that’s the real difficulty with making friends as an adult - you just don’t see people often enough (like you might have done at school) to develop a close bond.

Another thought - I met one of my closest friends through a course run by the WEA locally. The WEA no longer operate in my area but you could check yours and see if they do anything that appeals.

If you fancy anything sporty, go to your local sports equipment store and ask if they know of any local groups you could join.

You could have a look at Meetup and see what groups are in your area. I've seen various sorts of Meetup groups - language practice, cinema, music, book clubs, crafts of all sorts, walking/hiking/climbing/running, board games, dining clubs.

Is there a hobby that you've let slip? Or one that's always interested you? Check libraries, museums. supermarkets and GP surgeries for notices about various groups and meetings. If, for example, you'd fancy something arty, look at the websites of local galleries to see if they run classes or have an art club.

Does your town/city have a "what's on" website? If you sign up to ours you get weekly emails about various activities that are taking place.

Yes. It wasn’t instant but you wouldn’t expect it to be.

I made friends through feminist campaigning & volunteering for my local animal rescue. It does help if you’re all there for a purpose, & gives you something to chat about.

I’m in my mid-30s and joined a running club (as a complete beginner - on a couch to 5k course) about two years ago. I would say I’ve made friends there - I run with the group a couple of times a week, a few of us text a bit in the week, and we’ve been out for dinner & drinks together a few times too. Even though I’m not best buddies with everyone in the group, just knowing I’ll see nice people twice a week and have a bit of a chat with them there has made a huge difference to me socially. The group I run with is just for women and most are aged 30-55 with a few younger and older - it’s been really good for me.

I really sympathise. It's very hard.
My only suggestion is, find something you're interested in and, if you can, volunteer in that area. Even if you don't make friends immediately, you'll still enjoy yourself.
This is probably trite. But I think it's best to focus on doing activities you enjoy, and friendships might come from that.