How long did it take you to make friends in the UK?

It all depends on your situation,where you are, what you're doing all day, getting out and about and getting involved. People will not come to you, you must be friendly and welcoming and be willing to take up any and all invites out, whether you think its your 'cup of tea' or not!   
I personally think people in Scotland are much nicer and welcoming than anyone I met in Miami. After 6 years there, I finally had friends (after getting involved in a gazillion things as well), but here, it wasn't very long at all! I had friendly acquaintances within a week of moving here and now, 11 months later,I consider most of them very good friends.  I have work friends, friends from groups I volunteer with, internet friends, friends from music experiences I have had, friends of friends that have become my friends now, etc.
So best advice, be friendly, be interesting, find activities that make you happy to do (and meet people in progress) and get out there! 

And look here:
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=34039.0

I'll preface this by saying that I'm a bit of a loner and I amuse myself to no end, so I'm actually OK with not having a ton of close friends.... But I started out slowly when I came here - befriending the girlfriends of my husband's friends and whatnot. Then I started mingling with other Americans and very quickly they became (and to an extent still are) my closest friends. But when I started working full time is when I started making really close English friends. I recently started volunteering as well and that's widened my circle even more. So now, five years on, I'm really comfortable with my friendship status! But it's definitely been gradual!

I don't have any UK friends. I have my husband, my daughter and my MIL. 

WebyJ - have you thought about organising a meet-up for your area?  Derbyshire?  Nottinghamshire?  That's how I started to meet people (through this website) - I just took the initiative & organised about - oh, I'd say 3-4 get togethers, in the past.  I started making friends that way, then getting together more informally for meals or coffee etc and things kind of happened from there.  I think you're a SAHM so you probably won't be meeting people out in the workplace, but could you consider doing something like my suggestion?

I met loads of people that way, and then I also became friends with a local British woman (who's on this website) - because of a shared interest.

Again, it took me 2-4 years to get there though, but I know it's hard to be patient if you're feeling lonely or blue.

I also wonder sometimes when people say they are having a hard time making friends & I don't know how to put this exactly but...  I knew when I moved here it was for good - my husband & I have no intention of ever moving back to the US.  I was grumpy & lonely & felt 'out of the loop' for a long time, but eventually I thought - 'Right.  This is it.'  And I started to throw myself into my life, the community, etc here.  That is to say I wasn't looking at my being here as a temporary thing, but a permanent one (so it was up to me to make the best of my new life).  Now I sometimes get 'accused' of having assimilated too much - lol!  (Or about being the Yorkshire Tourist Board!  )  But is that a bad thing?  Because I'm happy, settled, I've got brilliant friends, & I love my life here. 

I don't have too many friends.  I talk to a few ladies at work, have been to a dinner party and pub outing with them, and have started doing yoga once a week with one co-worker.  When DH and I do go to the pubs, the girls are nice, they shuffle me away with them and include me in the conversations and everything.  We just don't go out very often.  There were one or two girls I met when we went out that I wanted to get to know, but for some reason, I am finding it hard to make that next move to ask for a phone number or future plans.  It's like asking a man on a date!!!    I never seemed to have that problem before, would just ask a girl at work for her number so we could do something, and we would be friends before I knew it.  Guess I am feeling a bit more vulnerable and shy since I have been here, and also I am enjoying holing up in the house with DH so far...  
When volunteering for the newspaper, I met a few nice older ladies there, and the girls at yoga seem nice.  I definitely plan to take more fun classes, like beginner French, or a dance class in order to meet a few more people as time goes on.  I think what someone else said about the age is probably true.  It's hard when most people are married with kids to make new friends and make time to develop them.  But I don't feel too lonely, as I always have my close friends back home that I can call whenever I need them...  

Find something you enjoy and volunteer!!! If I had done that from the start it would have been a much faster process!! I've always loved horses and have a background in psychology/child development, so this summer I started volunteering for a Riding for the Disabled school. Not only have I got to use my skills, I've met loads of people with the same interests who live locally to me!

Find something you enjoy and volunteer!!! If I had done that from the start it would have been a much faster process!! I've always loved horses and have a background in psychology/child development, so this summer I started volunteering for a Riding for the Disabled school. Not only have I got to use my skills, I've met loads of people with the same interests who live locally to me!

Haha, this didn't work for me...except for the leader, everyone that worked at my RDA stables was under 18!

Haha, this didn't work for me...except for the leader, everyone that worked at my RDA stables was under 18!

Oh no!! How frustrating! They're mostly middle-aged ladies at mine - just like me. 

I made friends with neighbors initially -- then through things like NCT, playgroup, school. (met a number of other Americans through NCT, by the by) and finally through work.  But the best friend was a neighbor.

I have friends at work, but I don't really do much with people outside of work.  I've always been that way though.  My mom and husband are my best friends.

\There were one or two girls I met when we went out that I wanted to get to know, but for some reason, I am finding it hard to make that next move to ask for a phone number or future plans.  It's like asking a man on a date!!!

Definitely been there!  Even though I feel like I have a social life with my derby team, I'm still self-conscious about calling the girls up to do anything individually...  I never thought you could have a social life without friends...

I wonder sometimes if we each have different definitions & expectations of friendship.  I mean - my husband is my one true best friend, who knows me inside & out, is my constant confidant, etc.  It took awhile but now I have local friends that I enjoy seeing & hanging out with, but often times - it seems like we are just too freaking busy to find time (on any kind of frequent basis) to get together.  So whereas I do have friends here now that I can ring or meet for coffee, etc - it just doesn't happen as much as we might like, but I think we're all okay with that.

I've been here almost 2 years and I have very few friends in the UK.  I made one fabulous friend but she's a kiwi and is going back to NZ this week.  I also made one other friend who I thought was great at first but is one of those people who doesn't reply to texts or calls and then texts me randomly wanting to hang out.   Normally she is someone I wouldn't bother with but I can't be choosy at the moment!

I've made 1 work friend but we don't see each other outside of work. 

DH's friends are all relatively far away and I haven't really clicked with any of their partners.  I have to admit though, I have never been one to have a ton of friends because I don't tolerate a lot.  I have always just tried to keep the good ones around. 

My husband really is my best friend and thankfully he doesn't mind shopping or I'd probably be a lot worse off:-)

I made friends within the first maybe 3 weeks I was here. I already had some friends here (maybe 3) and when I got my first job, I met my BFF Rosemary, she and I met on my very first temp job, then I met a handful of people through work, other temps and clients. When I had my son my circle of friends EXPLODED and I became part of a group of 21 girls (I know we are 21 because its bloody hard to book a table for 21 when you want a night out) who get along great and rely on each other for everything.

I don't find it hard to make friends with British people at all, I find them really really warm and irreverant and completely fun loving. I found it much much easier to make friends in the UK then I every did in the US.

My best advice to making friends would be this, if you meet someone that you think you might enjoy hanging out with, ask for their phone number, or their email address, and ACTUALLY CALL THEM. Don't be afraid to make plans, and don't wait for anyone else to call you, you have to get out there and do it. Be outgoing and try to make them laugh, that works for me!

I wonder sometimes if we each have different definitions & expectations of friendship. 

Good point.
Most of my friends that i've made through work are the going-to-lunch or going-for-a-drink type friends... not the 'i can tell you my innermost secrets' or 'i know i can trust you with my life' type friends.

But that suits me fine... i dont really find i have time, energy or desire to have the latter type of friendships.  I  like to keep things light and simple.  If i want to talk about deep things or intensely personal things... i turn to my LJ!

I think like a few people on here I came to the UK already a mother, and with a child which wasn't of school age and to be honest for the first few years I felt a bit isolated and it took a year after my son was in school in which I started making friends with other mums, and I can easily say due to my children I have made friends and am quite happy in my world.