ECOG - East Cheshire Outdoor Group
East Cheshire Outdoor Group was formed in 1982 to bring together like-minded people who enjoy the outdoors, hill walking, cycling, camping and other outdoor activities, weekends away and socialising.

We are affiliated to the national Youth Hostels Association and regularly use hostels for weekends away. Despite its name, the YHA caters for all age-ranges, and in our group, members range from their 20s to 50s. Children, whose parents are members, are also involved in some events.

Activities
We have a varied programme of outdoor events focussed around walking and cycling, but also including canoeing, rock climbing and mountaineering. We go to the theatre, cinema as well as out for meals and pubs. Usually one weekend a month we'll be away in some part of the UK either camping or hostelling.  

To find out more about the walks and what to take click on this link.
To find out more about weekends away click on this link.

Have a look at our current programme. We always welcome new faces so come along to any of our events!

Areas covered
Day walks are usually within a 45 minute drive of Macclesfield. Weekends can be any where from North Wales to Scotland. Our favourite haunts are the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Snowdonia and Scotland. Members come from as far a field as Bolton, Stafford,Taunton and Uxbridge - but most are Macclesfield or Wilmslow based.

Do I have to join the group before I attend an event?
Not necessarily – come along first of all to one or two events to see how you like the group and its activities. If it suits you, and you want to do more, that is the time to join up.

How much does it cost to join? 
The membership fee is currently £5.00 a year and £1.30 per child (under 18).  For more details please visit our Contact Us page.

Who runs the group?
We run ourselves! All our event leaders are Group members, who are undertaking these activities in their spare time. The Committee, which is elected each October at the AGM, is drawn from the membership and again is a voluntary activity. It meets once every two months. Most of us have busy jobs or family lives, so its pretty hectic managing group activities at the same time as keeping up with work. Very occasionally it just doesn’t all fit, and an activity might need to be changed or cancelled at short notice.

Who puts the programme together?We all do. We hold a regular programme planning meeting once every 4 months to help stimulate ideas and encourage members to lead events themselves, and this is advertised on the programme. The programme is mailed out to members during August, December and April.

What else goes on?
You’ll also find that within the group there are smaller groups of people who will meet up for other additional activities – canoeing, rock climbing, theatre trips etc. So the more you come along, the more you’ll find to do!

How can I keep in touch?
In addition to the programme, we operate a ‘group email’ so that additional information about activities, offers of lifts, last minute changes of plan can be quickly and easily communicated. As a member you can join the email group.