A BREAKAWAY club set up to continue the tradition of the Lyke Wake Walk has come under fire from original club members.

Paul Sherwood, secretary of the original Lyke Wake Walk Club, has accused the new group of going against the founder's intentions and contributing to the damage of the countryside.

But Gerry Orchard, secretary of the new group, said there was still demand for a club supporting the route, and steps could be taken to limit damage.

The existing Lyke Wake Walk Club, which masterminds the 40-mile walk from Osmotherley to Ravenscar, is due to disband in October as a result of dwindling numbers and the availability of more long-distance routes in the area.

The club was founded in 1955 and at its peak in the 1970s more than 15,000 completed the walk each year. However recent figures have dropped to about 300.

Mr Sherwood said: "The new club goes totally against the idea of the original founder, Bill Cowley. Bill described the club as a tribal society, with no constitution, no membership fee and no elections, and that has worked for 50 years. The new group is totally different to this.

"In effect we had 165,000 members because it included everyone who had ever walked the route within 24 hours, but numbers have dropped and we decided to call it a day at our Golden Jubilee in October."

He said the club would close, but the attached commercial company would still operate and continue selling merchandise.

Mr Sherwood said: "Another of our concerns was that the sheer numbers of people were producing erosion. We as a club and company worked with the North York Moors National Park Authority and landowners on the route to deal with the problem.

"We tried to keep groups small, and we have been so successful that we have done ourselves out of business. The new club will encourage people to do the route and a lot of people are against this."

But Mr Orchard, from the new club, said that the route was still very much in demand.

He said anyone from the existing club was welcome in the new one, and about 240 people had already joined.

Mr Orchard, who is one of 11 committee members, said: "A group of us thought it was a terrible shame that the club was being closed. Having the club gives people an opportunity to learn from being outdoors and enjoy themselves."

Mr Orchard joined the original club in early 1970s and since then has done the walk about 130 times.

"We are looking forward not back," said Mr Orchard. "We aim to restore the club to what it was in former years under Bill Cowley - a place of great fun and an opportunity to meet like-minded people who are interested in the great outdoors, the North York Moors and its history and folk lore.

"There is still an interest, and if it is handled correctly, working with members, the park authority and landowners, we can all benefit."

Mr Orchard said members of the new club were disappointed at the "unpleasantness" surrounding its inception.

"We can only concentrate in moving the new club forward. There is certainly no intent to insult the Cowley family. Far from it, the new club takes its inspiration from Bill and Jean Cowley and their vision.

Karl Gerhardsen, recreation and access officer for the North York Moors National Park Authority, said: "Generally I'm pleased that there is going to be a club to further the interests of walkers and also manage the numbers of people who want to do the walk.

"We worked well with the previous club to tackle erosion problems and together reduced the number of walkers to manageable proportions.

"We would be worried if there was a lot of promotion encouraging large numbers of people to take part. But it is useful that there will be a club operating as a focus for people who want to do the walk, and I'm pleased that will continue."

For details on the new Lyke Wake Walk Club, visit www.lykewake.org