How to Find a Walking Buddy Near You

The quickest way to find a walking buddy near you is to ask one person you already know, with a day and a time attached. If nobody you know is free, go to a local group walk two or three times and suggest an extra walk to whoever you keep ending up next to. Dog walkers in your nearest park, colleagues at lunchtime, neighbourhood online groups and walking apps are the other good places to look. Below is how each one works, what to say when you ask, and how to keep the first walk with a stranger safe and simple.

Start with people you already know, and ask with a time attached

Most walking buddies are found closer to home than people expect: a neighbour, a friend who keeps saying they should move more, a colleague, a parent at the school gate. The mistake is the vague invitation. "We should go for a walk sometime" sounds friendly, and almost never turns into a walk, because nobody has to decide anything. A specific one is easier to say yes to: "I'm walking round the park on Tuesday at 7, about half an hour. Want to come?" It tells the other person exactly what they're agreeing to, it's short enough not to feel like a commitment, and it lets them say no without awkwardness. If they come and you both enjoy it, suggest the same time the next week. That repeat is what turns a walk into a walking buddy. Ask two or three people rather than waiting on one, because some will be keen and some won't, and none of that is personal.

Go to a group walk, and keep going back

If nobody you know can walk at your times, a free local group walk is the easiest way to meet people who already like walking. In England, Ramblers Wellbeing Walks run every week in many towns: they're free and led by volunteers, the shortest are only 10 minutes long, and you don't need to register. Walk with a Doc, a nonprofit that began in Ohio, runs free walks in communities around the world, led by local doctors, other healthcare workers or medical students. Your library, community centre or council website will often list what else is on locally. The group is rarely the buddy itself. Instead, you'll find yourself walking beside the same person on the second or third week, and that's the moment to ask whether they'd like to meet up between group walks as well.

Photo: Dwi Rizqi F, Pexels

Dog walkers, colleagues and your own street

Some of the best buddy matches are people already walking at your time. Dog owners are the clearest case: they're out every day whatever the weather, often on the same route at the same hour, so if you walk a dog too, the owner you nod to every morning is a likely buddy, and the dogs give you something to talk about from the first minute. At work, a lunchtime walk is easy to suggest to a colleague, because it doesn't eat into anyone's evening, and two or three regular lunchtime walkers can grow into a small group. And for people without a dog or an office, a short post in a neighbourhood group on Facebook or Nextdoor works better than you might think. Say where you walk, when, roughly how far and how fast, and what kind of walk it is (a chatty stroll, a brisk one, or a quiet one). A precise post gets fewer replies, but they come from people who fit.

Use a walking app to find people walking near you

Social walking apps take the guesswork out of timing, because they show walks other people near you are planning, so you can join one at an hour that suits you rather than coordinating from scratch. They're most useful in the gaps the other options leave: you've just moved, you work odd hours, or nobody in your circle walks. Treat a walk you join through an app the way you'd treat a group walk. Go a couple of times, see whose pace and company suit you, and arrange more walks with that person.

Photo: wr heustis, Pexels

Keep the first walk with someone new public, short and simple

Meeting a stranger for a walk is lower pressure than most first meetings, but a few habits make it safer and easier for both of you. For the first walk:

• Meet somewhere public and busy, like a park entrance or a café, in daylight, and stick to a route with other people on it.
• Tell a friend where you're going, who you're meeting and when you expect to be back.
• Make your own way there and home, so you're never relying on someone you've just met for a lift.
• Keep it short, half an hour or so. It's easier to end a short walk politely, and easy to suggest a longer one next time.
• Trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, say you need to head off, and go. You don't owe anyone an explanation.

It also helps to be honest early about what kind of walk you want. If you're after a brisk hour and they want a gentle chat, it's better for both of you to know on the first walk than the fifth. Not every match works, and a polite "I don't think our paces suit each other" is a perfectly good reason to keep looking.

Find walkers near you with Walk With Me

Walk With Me shows walks near you on a map: live walks in green and planned ones in blue. You can ask to join one (the host approves who comes, by default) or set up your own walk now or for later, open to everyone, to friends, or invite only, and there are Women Only, Men Only and LGBTQ+ Only walks too. You can also post "Find a buddy" on the Walk Feed for anyone to answer. Once you've found someone you like walking with, add them as a friend and make them your walking buddy, so you can see each other's steps and keep a streak going together. There's more on finding a walking buddy and on how the app keeps walks safe. It's free on the App Store and Google Play.

Sources

• The Ramblers. Ramblers Wellbeing Walks. ramblers.org.uk, accessed 2026.
• Walk with a Doc. Walk with a Doc. walkwithadoc.org, accessed 2026.