Fancy MEETING YOU HERE

Turn off your computer, put your phone away - offline dating is back. Consider this your guide to finding a first-class companion in midlife

Having once embraced online dating with enthusiasm, reports suggest midlifers are tiring of it. It has its success stories the divorced woman who met her match after stating on her profile must have an Aga’ yet for many, the search for a suitable partner on Tinder all too often results in a dispiriting, rejecting swipe left.

One attractive divorcee in her 50s told me, When first tried internet dating, was amazed by the number of guys in their 30s who wanted to hook up. It was flattering, but there’s no way I'd date anyone younger than my son. Maybe was just unlucky, but the men my age seemed to be looking either for a much younger woman or a carer.’

At this stage of life, we know what we want and our mood is shifting back to real-time interaction’. A single friend in her 40s says, As a businesswoman and mother, I'm really fed up with the time-wasters who go great guns, then ghost” you. My time's too precious for that kind of waste of emotional energy. I’d much rather get off my laptop and do something fun, whether meet a guy or not.’

If you're newly single, the prospect of real-life dating again can seem daunting. Gone are the days of being chatted up in the late-night student bar, or being set up with some nice chap at a friend's first dinner party. Be glad! There are exciting avenues to explore.