Has anyone successfully dated someone new during the pandemic?

[Anonanonon]

Just wondering, as all the restrictions and uncertainty have seemed complete passion-killers to me. I'm not convinced any of the initial excitement and flirtatiousness required can be sustained through it all. I think potential dates will just get bored of nothing moving on and want something new when restrictions are lifted.

But maybe I'm wrong and some of you out there have not only dated but are now in a relationship with someone you met after restrictions were imposed? Or maybe things are going from strength to strength with someone you met during lockdown?

I hope so - I've been thinking about starting OLD again, but there just doesn't seem any point. But it depresses me that - after putting my dating life on hold for a year already - I might have to put things on hold for 6 months more. I'm not getting any younger, etc.

Yes but it was someone I knew, although not all that well, before all this started. And we spent a lot of time just hanging out together online every day for months, chatting, watching tv and films, listening to music etc before we decided to make a bubble. So we were pretty sure. We both live alone, so are completely within the rules to bubble with each other.

I think dating from scratch with complete strangers must be really difficult. I feel very lucky.

Well it certainly has happened, I’ve heard of people who have moved men in they met old during Covid so people manage

Yep. Met just after the first lockdown lifted. Now live together (kind of - he does work away a lot). Wouldn’t have moved that fast normally, but these are strange times we live in!

It's worked for me!

Met my now bf for a walking date in the park in late summer/early autumn. It's was cold and rainy but we laughed so much, ended up staying out for 5 hours and it turned dark.

We were able to meet up in a pub garden with friends and go for dinner a couple of times before the higher tiers came in. So appreciate we were lucky with the timing. I imagine it is harder now. Especially with the figures the way they are, people are understanding more cautious.

We bubbled up very quickly and due to lockdown our relationship has escalated quicker than one would normally but things are going very well.
I do have the odd wobble and worry that things may change when we come out of lockdown (more because I had come out of a miserable marriage in 2019 and had planned on having some fun before settling down again!) but we are making plans for the future and things are looking positive.

We met properly in July last year, though had known each other a few months longer as friends online. Saw each other most weekends up until December when we felt we needed to be more careful due to his vulnerable parents till they had the vaccine. Haven't seen each other since but we are still in a relationship. We have never been for dinner out or the usual social things and have dated via long walks, staying over, cooking together. I don't anticipate seeing him till lockdown is lifted and only then if his parents have been vaccinated. I was complacent before but I know of 4 close deaths just last week so it's got me quite hyper cautious whereas he was always very cautious. I know people are still dating and if you are both in the same boat, you could also bubble. Don't lose hope. If it were me, I'd be chatting to a lot of guys online and making plans for walks etc in the future. These are tough times.

There's been a couple of threads like this this weekend. I think the pool of singles is split between people who have continued to drag themselves around nature reserves in the name of SD dating (even though technically dating isnt part of lockdown rules) and those who have bubbled/moved in with virtual strangers and then those that have just given up. I couldn't think of anything worse than making a stranger my only form of contact or even worse move him into my home during this time but I know of people who have and it seems to be working so far.

I went in a few dates with someone during the first lockdown (when restrictions were lifted enough for us to meet up), things didn’t work out but we remained friends.

I am on OLD but it just seems pointless at the moment as most people live over 10/20 miles away so we can’t meet. I can’t be doing with chatting for months without meeting.

It does feel as though covid is putting a stop to me finding anyone, during the first lockdown I was ok with it because I though it wouldn’t last this long (though things would be back to normal), now the weathers cold and I can’t go out much I really miss having someone.

Yes! I met my current bf when lockdown lifted in the Summer (on an app)- so we were fortunate enough to go to pubs, eat out and do a bit more 'normal dating'. We are bubbled up now, and it's been a god send as I live alone.

I did e-date someone else (also on an app) through the first lockdown and it was quite nice actually. We'd text through the day, virtual dates - gave me something to look forward to each week, and a reason to dress up. We met when lockdown lifted for in-person dates - but sadly it didn't work out as he decided to move to another city. I'd definitely recommend e-dating though - with the right person it can be very fun, and nowhere near as awkward as I imagined.

My thinking is, life still carries on around the pandemic, and so too dating. Just adapted to suit the situation. It's not as fun during strict lockdown, but if you make the right connection you can actually enjoy e-dating, or socially distanced walks. Because it's the company and the conversation, rather than doing activities that matters.

I met someone in May. We were fortunate to have a lovely summer together where we went out to eat and even went on holiday. I think I would struggle meeting someone now as there’s so little to do and the weather is terrible.

Yes but it was someone I've known for quite a few years. We were already in a bubble.

I met my now BF on the evening Boris closed all the pubs. I broke all the rules and invited him back to my house. Dodgy I know and I wouldn't recommend doing that but as soon as we met I felt safe with him. We managed to go for a walk that weekend (when all the beauty spots were packed, it was a gorgeous sunny weekend) Then lockdown was announced on the Monday and we didn't then see each other until you were allowed to meet 1 person outside. (June if I remember correctly) We had continued to talk almost everyday. We watched TV and did "virtual movie nights" shortly after we were allowed to meet outside we decided to form a support bubble. We've been seeing each other regularly since then and even managed to introduce the kids.
I imagine the consensus on MN would be we'd moved too quickly - but it's worked for us and we very much now consider ourselves as a couple. I worry occasionally that this is just a "lockdown romance" in the same way a holiday romance might be. Only time will tell if we continue to get along once things open up and become more normal again - but I'm hopeful and at the moment don't see any specific reason why we wouldn't continue to work.

I have a few friends who appear to have started relationships over the last year so it must be possible. I can’t be bothered myself as if something got past a few outdoor dates I would have to break lockdown rules, which isn’t an option for me. I’m perfectly happy being single, though I think it must be really hard at the moment for anyone who is really hoping to meet someone, especially friends of mine who would like to start families and don’t have loads of time 🙁

Got talking to someone this time last year and dated a couple of times but he called it off just before first lockdown as he had some other stuff going on and needed to be on his own. We vaguely kept in touch through the spring and hooked up a couple of times during the summer when restrictions eased. In October we met for coffee and he wanted to dtr - he said he wanted more but didn’t think I was interested and I said I had held back because I didn’t think he was interested 🤦‍♀️ Since then we’ve met eow when kids are with our respective exes and we have formed a support bubble for this lockdown.
Both have strong feelings for each other and we have tentatively discussed meeting the kids but realistically that is unlikely to happen until restrictions ease.

This one does really interest me. I am aware that my relationship has moved way quicker than I would expect, and I don’t know whether that is because we are entirely dependant on each other for social contact so we cling to each other, kind of? It doesn’t feel like that, but I’m aware all kinds of things can go on under the surface. We have never had a cross word for example, despite spending loads of time stuck in a small house with basically fuck all to do. Is this a sign of our deep compatability? (That is how it feels - I absolutely adore him and think we are weirdly similar people). Or is it a sign we are excessively reliant on each other due to the situation, and subconsciously afraid to rock the boat?

Time will tell I guess. I am so pleased we had the summer - we went on several road trips to different places, and it was wicked! I imagine meeting someone actually during lockdown itself would be fucking hard......

I did - much to my surprise. The dying days of Guardian Soulmates prompted me to have "one last try" and up he popped last May. Had a few video dates - would never have chanced that before but I'd been doing video meetings at work for two months so it didn't seem strange.

We're both keen walkers so went on very SD'ed long hikes the first couple of weeks in June, and then I made my move when lockdown was eased a bit and gave him a kiss, and then we bubbled up when we were allowed. We see each other once a week, usually for a hike/hillwalk. We've never been to the pub, or cinema, or for a meal, as we're in NW and those sorts of things have been shut for months and months, but we have a film night and cook something special for tea the night of the week that he stays.
I live on my own and he's a 50/50 dad - it's been a lifesaver for us. As a previous poster said, we've never had a cross word in 7 months so far. Things may change when I meet the kids and life does eventually get back to normal, but neither of those things are going to happen in the next three or four months, but otherwise, so far so good. He's lovely, and after 8 years of being single, quite a surprise.