This paper argues that geography plays a crucial role in the formation of care networks. The role of informal carers will become increasingly important as the population ages and a better understanding of the drivers and outcome of these locational decisions is important. We use data from the British Household Panel Survey to explore the characteristics of common forms of care network; to investigate the factors that may influence the type of care network formed when a need for care is identified and to examine the role of space in the formation of care networks. Our results show the importance of both individual and geographic factors in network formation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.