Edinburgh and the Lothians
Edinburgh Dating: Meet Singles in Edinburgh
Old Town or Leith, Portobello or Bathgate: meet Edinburgh singles in the section that suits you. The city supplies the scenery.
Single in Edinburgh? Start here
- Four sections cover everything from no-strings fun to a serious relationship, and you can join more than one.
- Members come from across the city and the Lothians, including Granton, Portobello, Musselburgh and Bathgate.
- Ages are evenly spread: four in ten are under 35 and four in ten are 45 or over.
- Two in five belong to Single or Mature Encounters, so relationships and dating after 40 are well covered.
- Trams, Lothian buses and trains from Waverley make it easy to meet halfway.
Someone your age, whatever your age
Edinburgh’s age mix is unusually even. Three in ten of our members here are 25 to 34, another three in ten are 45 to 54, and a fifth fall in between at 35 to 44. One in ten is 18 to 24 and one in ten is 55 or over.
Ages of our members in Edinburgh and the Lothians, all four sections together, today.
A 28-year-old and a 52-year-old can both log in and find people at their own stage of life. If you’re over 40 and would like to meet people who are too, Mature Encounters is built for exactly that.
Pick a neighbourhood and make a night of it
Edinburgh is a city of distinct neighbourhoods, and each suits a different kind of date.
- The Old Town
- The Grassmarket’s pubs sit right under the castle rock, and the Scottish National Gallery on the Mound, home of Raeburn’s Skating Minister, gives you something to talk about before a drink. In August, steer clear of the Royal Mile unless you love a crowd.
- Stockbridge and Dean Village
- Follow the Water of Leith walkway from Stockbridge to Dean Village for a quiet, pretty half hour, then come back for coffee or a glass of wine. The Sunday market in Stockbridge makes a relaxed daytime meet.
- Leith
- The Shore lines the old docks with restaurants and bars, and since the tram was extended down Leith Walk to Newhaven, it’s an easy trip from the centre.
- Portobello
- Edinburgh’s seaside, with a long promenade, sand, and cafés and pubs along the front. It’s also one of the places our members call home.
- Holyrood Park and Calton Hill
- Climb Arthur’s Seat together if you both like a challenge, or walk up Calton Hill at sunset for the view along Princes Street and out over the Forth.
Our first date ideas guide has more, wherever in the UK your match lives.
Trams, buses and a few hills
Lothian buses reach almost every corner of the city, the tram links the airport, Princes Street, Leith and Newhaven, and trains from Waverley get to Musselburgh in minutes and Bathgate in well under an hour. The centre is small enough to walk, though the climb between the Old Town and the New Town will keep you honest. Meeting someone from the Lothians? Somewhere near Waverley or a tram stop keeps the trip fair for both of you.
Glasgow is less than an hour west by train if your matches reach that far, while Newcastle upon Tyne sits about an hour and a half south down the East Coast Main Line.
Casual, serious or over 40: your call
Edinburgh splits six, two and two. Six in ten of our members here are in Casual Encounters, where adults meet for no-strings fun. Two in ten have joined Single Encounters in search of a relationship, and two in ten are in Mature Encounters, our over-40s section. That’s a more even split than most of the cities we cover. Join whichever fits, or try two: you sign up to each one separately.
From Dundee? You’re welcome
If you were looking for dating in Dundee, Edinburgh is the nearest city page we have. Trains from Dundee cross the Tay and then the Forth on their way to Waverley, which makes an Edinburgh evening a realistic plan and gives you a view to talk about on the way. Set your distance to include Edinburgh and the Lothians, or see every city we cover on our locations page.
Questions about dating in Edinburgh
Is Edinburgh a good place to date over 45?
Yes. Four in ten of our members in Edinburgh and the Lothians are 45 or over, and three in ten are aged 45 to 54.
Where should we go on a first date in Edinburgh?
Somewhere you can walk and talk: the Water of Leith from Stockbridge to Dean Village, Calton Hill at sunset, or the promenade at Portobello.
Is August a good month for dating in Edinburgh?
It’s the busiest. The Festival Fringe fills the city every August, so there’s more to do and more people about. Book ahead and pick a neighbourhood away from the Royal Mile.
More cities near Edinburgh
Your Edinburgh date could start this weekend
Make a profile, add a photo and send your first message tonight.