Anyone met someone naturally in their 30s?

[Dont1981]

If so, where was it?
I'm 33 and not having a great experience with the apps. I'd like to meet someone in person that I fancy.
I tried: a language meetup- out of the 3 men there, one was married, one was gay and another was interested but very sleazy and pushy so I blocked him.
A running group: men were either taken or twice my age, plus I slowed them down so don't think I'll go back.

Life drawing: mainly women, most people were almost twice my age.
Work: most are taken.

A political party is a really good shout. Very often more men than women.

Also friends of colleagues.

If you like quizzes or cards then get yourself to local pubs regularly and play the quiz or poker league. Both attract men but check you haven't found a great big alcoholic or gambler.

Cricket 20:20 is good for this too. Lively and fun also with good ratios.

Me! I met someone in the roughest pub in our city! I was on a girls night out but id been single for 8 years and not been dating or looking! We have been together now 14 years and married for 12 of them

I met my lovely DH in the pub when I was 33 (although that is 25 years ago now). I was the barmaid and he came in quite a lot and used to sit at the bar chatting to me when it was quiet, then he asked me out.

I got together (at 30) with someone I’ve known since I was 16. I’d moved abroad, had a baby and a shit relationship and come home, he’d been briefly married.
We got back in touch via a mutual friend and the rest is history.
Mutual friend has also just got together properly with someone they used to knock about with way back when too.
Makes socialising easier!

I met my partner at kick boxing. A class I'd been going to on & off for years. He turned up one day :)

Which apps are you using? I used to get asked out a lot on hinge and match. Certain other apps I used not so much despite using same pics. I don’t know I feel sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason.

But I’ll give a guy maximum of a few days before I unmatch if he hasn’t at least mentioned wanting to meet.

@AndiOliversGlasses

Agree it's tricky taking things to the next level with people you meet.

When I've been more young and random and less self-conscious, lot of alcohol and early physical stuff involved!

I'm slowly expanding my social networks right now (no expectations, just doing things I enjoy).

At my age, I would rather NOT be getting drunk and snogging someone at a book club and generating gossip! 😄 Plus I actually enjoy talking about books, I don't want to disappear in drama and shame....

I have noticed sometimes I meet interesting guys "out there" there's a bit of a mutual vibe, but then the group dynamic takes over a bit or we lose contact

Or someone more extroverted or domineering takes over.

Probably just going to get their WA number and ask a question, or let them know about some event they might be interested in.

I won't ask them "Would you go to dinner with me?" as that's too direct (not what I want necessarily) but maybe just begin low expectation contact.

If they're interested in staying in touch, I expect they'll mirror back and we can communicate 1-1.

If not, no harm done. I've ignored some first messages before, it's no big deal.

I'm not in a massive rush for a date-date and also right now I would like to take time to get to know someone myself and find out about them, so I can take some early ambiguity.

(I was on a long distance coach trip and some random late night chat with everyone on the back seat exchanging numbers happened.

I abstained, but I guess exchanging WhatsApp quickly probably is pretty much the social norm for meeting people now - it doesn't mean you're desperate).

I met my husband in an HMO (boarding house) for young professionals. I was 30, he was 28 at the time.

There were 21 of us renting rooms over three floors sharing two bathrooms, two kitchens and one washing machine. It was hell, but a very sociable hell. He lived above me and one day in the kitchen asked me if I fancied a drink at the pub across the road after we’d washed up.

We were engaged three months later and married within the year.

Don't discount meeting older people too many people do this , and many of this age group have plenty sons . Widen your social group .

My dd was sharing a house with two housemates. She met her partner as they regularly had friends around for dinner etc. He began to call more often and they took off from there.
I think hiking/ hillwalking/ tag rugby..anywhere a mixed crowd is meeting up is best. You will have fun anyway and it's always easier to meet someone when you are in good form and focused on the fun aspect

@Catnipcupcakes that’s very cute. Did you fancy him before?

Yes at a festival 😄

5 years ago, I was 34 , I moved 150 miles and we now have a 1 year old

It is doable but you really have to put yourself out there

I'd been single for 8 years prior!

@Unopenedpackofmenssocks I was the patient and he was a staff member, however, we got chatting, got on brilliantly, I got better and went home. Few months later I bumped into him in the local town, we got chatting and the rest is history.

Good luck all

Yes- I rented my spare room! I picked someone I knew I'd get on well with as a friend, but falling for each other did take me by surprise.

I was 33 when I met my partner, was sort of a mixture of seeing him out and working together.
We've just had our first baby and will be buying a house next year. I'd given up trying to meet someone so have faith xx

There was no before, really. The pub happened a couple of weeks after I moved into the house and it was the first time I’d spoken to him outside just being in a big group of housemates.

I didn’t fancy him until the first kiss. Which was weeks and a couple of ‘proper dates’ after that. Then it was love.

DH and I met in a pub at a mutual friend's gig when I was 32 and he was 31. That's coming up on 11 years ago now and we had our 6th wedding anniversary last month.

We had both split up from previous partners earlier that year and weren't looking for anything (I'd tried all the websites at the time and spoke to a few people but never met anyone in person so I had given up just a week before meeting DH). After the gig, our friend hinted to each of us that the other was single, by that point we had been chatting for most of the night (mainly about our dogs).

We then found out we lived in the same direction so he walked me home and I knew he was a keeper that night when I drunkenly fell over and he picked me up off the ground and cleaned up my badly grazed elbow for me. I don't think he realised that it wasn't a one-off and he would be picking my clumsy self up on multiple occasions over the years.

I don't know if I recommend falling and injuring yourself but it worked for me.

That would be workplace harassment now!