Better company than the one that got away.

This is a dating site for people over 50 who feel most like themselves outside. Anglers who know the river by its moods. Walkers who check the forecast before the news. Allotment holders with a shed full of string and opinions. Sailors, paddlers, birdwatchers and anyone who'd rather share a bench by a lake than shout over music in a bar.

The idea is simple: meet through what you already enjoy. A profile that says "I fish most weekends and grow more beans than I can give away" tells a stranger more about you than a list of adjectives ever could. Most of our readers are in the UK, with a smaller group in Ireland.

If you want to see how it all fits together first, read how the site works or our guide to meeting someone through a hobby.

The best first dates over 50 tend to be short, outdoors and close to a café. A riverside stroll, a garden open day, a Saturday farmers' market or an hour at a nature reserve gives you something to look at and talk about, so silences feel easy rather than awkward. And every one has a natural end point.

Keep it to an hour or two, pick somewhere busy, and have a rain plan, because this is Britain. Our guide to ten outdoor first dates for over-50s has the full list, a wet-weather backup for each, and a section for anglers who'd like to show someone the water without making them sit through a six-hour session.

Clever profiles are hard to write and harder to believe. A shared interest does the work for you. If you both garden, you already have a first question, a first date and a running joke about slugs.

Clubs help in a different way. You turn up, do the thing, and get to know people slowly, with no pressure for anything to happen. Plenty of friendships start on a muddy towpath. Some turn into more. The trick is to go for the walk, not for the hunt.

• Dating over 50 in IrelandUsing the site from Ireland, where over-50s meet outdoors, reporting romance fraud to the Gardaí, and fishing rules either side of the border.
• Dating over 50 in the UK if you love being outdoorsWhere outdoorsy over-50s meet in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, clubs versus online dating, and money and safety basics.
• Fishing and walking clubs for people over 50Finding and joining walking groups and angling clubs over 50, the licence rules, your first few weeks, and meeting people naturally.
• Meeting people through gardening groups and allotmentsHow allotments, garden clubs, community gardens and open gardens help over-50s meet people, and how to get started.
• Meeting someone through a hobby you loveHow to use the things you love doing to meet people, write a better profile, start conversations and plan first dates.
• Ten outdoor first dates for over-50s, plus a plan for rainTen easy outdoor first dates for over-50s, how to suggest one, a wet-weather plan, and how to keep it safe.

That lovely empty ridge with no one around is a second- or third-date walk, not a first. For a first meeting, pick a public, well-used place in daylight, get there and home under your own steam, and tell a friend where you'll be and who you're meeting.

Check your phone has signal where you're going and a full battery before you set off. Don't share your home address yet, and never send money to someone you haven't met, whatever the story. Our page on meeting a date outdoors safely goes through it step by step, and dating safely over 50 covers scams and where to report them.