Since online dating became a “thing,” speciality dating sites have popped up like mushrooms in the forest in autumn. One such niche dating site is Muddy Matches, dedicated to people looking for love in the countryside. If you ever wanted to try "countryside dating,” now’s your chance!
In other words, this site is for those who don't mind leaving the town behind for the countryside. Must love wellies. Must tolerate mud. Equestrian lifestyle lovers welcome. Townies who love rural areas also welcome. Knowing your country calendar is a plus, but don't worry–the site has created its own!
Whether you're looking for love, companionship, or even something casual, our selection of dating sites has something for everyone. Find what you're looking for with Age Times!
Members
MuddyMatches.co.uk has over 200,000 members and about 50,000 weekly active users. Admittedly, this isn't a lot compared to apps like Tinder, which has more than 60m members worldwide.
That said, Muddy Matches is a niche dating website targeting people who live in the British countryside - and some in Ireland, France, and other nearby countries, though the focus is Britain. That ensures matches are local and relevant. Your typical dating site usually has a broader market.
Muddy Matches is for people looking for their perfect match. People searching for soulmates and long-term relationships are the target market. If you're looking for casual dating, Muddy Matches probably isn't the site for you.
The site is open to straight people and the queer community at large. It’s a very friendly and inviting site.
The majority of members are female. There are members in all age brackets using the site, but most members are over 35.
Features
The design of Muddy Matches is nice, if not outstanding, in the creativity department. And there are some fun photos and jokes about being a townie or muddy.
As with most dating sites and dating apps, you need to create a profile. Once you've done this, you can search for other members, favourite them, and send messages.
You can also take a quiz to find out how townie or muddy you are. This is a friendly and fun touch, as are some of their blogs about finding love in the countryside!
Another nifty feature of Muddy Matches is its country calendar, which lists events that may interest its members (more on this later).
Profiles
You have to upload a photo during the registration process (which takes about five minutes), so you won’t find any profiles without a photo.
Moderators will approve all photos and profiles. This does not mean anyone’s photos or IDs are verified, but it does prevent fake profiles to an extent. It also helps ensure no one is writing outrageous or hateful bios. And you won't find a Disney character as someone's profile photo!
The approval process can take up to 24 hours.
Profiles on Muddy Matches are pretty detailed but could be more inventive. You fill out a basic bio that you pen yourself and answer some simple questions about your interests.
You can upload photos—only three will feature on your profile page, but you can upload more.
You can hide your profile if you feel like going incognito for a while.
Overall, profiles on Muddy Matches aren’t super detailed–there aren’t many fields to fill out–but they do the job of introducing members to one another.
If you are still trying to decide what to write in your profile, you can read some of my other articles about looking for love over 50.
The muddy townie quiz
This is a quiz you take to find out how townie or muddy you are. It's a nice little touch to help you connect with other members, as you can see their scores or discuss your own.
The country calendar
This calendar lists events around the United Kingdom, like country fairs, horse racing meetings, and speed dating events. A nice little touch. It can also give you ideas about where to meet your date in real life!
The blog
The Muddy Matches blog has articles giving general dating advice and articles about topics like farmer dating, equestrian dating, and gay farmer dating!
App
The Muddy Matches app is available on Google Play and the App Store.
The app has the same features as the site—there are no unique matchmaking functions on it.
Cost
While it's free to sign up for Muddy Matches, you have to pay to be able to send messages to other members. With a free account, you can read the Muddy Matches blog and dating advice, do the quiz, upload a profile, and look around to see what members are using the site. However, you can only connect with people if you pay for a membership.
One month will set you back £24, while if you sign up for 12 months, it's £7.50 per month. There are also membership packages for three and six months.
Subscriptions auto-renew, so you have to cancel your subscription 48 hours before it renews to cancel it. Depending on how you purchased it, you either cancel your account in the account settings or manage your subscriptions on your phone or tablet.
Safety
Muddy Matches was founded by two farming sisters over a decade ago. They saw the growing interest in dating sites for city dwellers and wanted to develop a site for people living in rural areas in the United Kingdom. Since then, the site has grown in popularity and become established as a safe site to use. They are even members of the Online Dating Association.
Muddy Matches does not sell your data. They even have a GDPR hub, so you can educate yourself about how your online data is used and how to best protect yourself.
Reviews
Muddy Matches gets 3.3 stars out of 5 on TrustPilot.
This includes many glowing reviews for the site—fabulous success stories.
Some complaints are clearly fake - like those about getting sent nudes through the site when you cannot send images through their messaging system.
Moreover, some users report a few glitches in their system, but the customer care team appears responsive to those.
Of course, there are also complaints about the auto-renewing subscription. I say "of course" because, as someone who reviews dating sites regularly, I find it interesting that people complain about the auto-renewal of subscriptions. Almost every dating app uses this feature, like many other subscription apps.
Some people complained they couldn’t find many Muddy Matches members locally, but you can check that when you join the site for free. You don't have to pay to find out if there are members near you.
As this dating service focuses on dating in the country, you may also expect longer distances between matches. For example, fewer people are in Northamptonshire or Wellingborough than in London. Still, London is relatively close, so you may want to expand your search.
Review sites (sites that specifically review dating sites and dating apps) tend to give Muddy Matches great reviews.
Few reviews floating around say it's an online dating site filled with scammers or fake profiles. Instead, the overwhelming feedback is positive.
