Pay to climb Snowdon? I’m all for anything that helps keep our natural sights beautiful

Litter, damage and a lack of adventure from tourists are just some of the problems they currently face, writes Janet Street-Porter

Snowdonia National Park in northern Wales (Getty/iStock)

Would you be happy paying to climb a mountain? In north Wales, councillors would like to charge a small fee to climb Snowdon, and use the money towards repairing paths, improving local facilities, and pay for extra parking so drivers don’t leave their vehicles on the road, damaging verges.

I’m 100 per cent in favour – in peak season Snowdonia National Park is totally swamped, as is the Lake District.

Unfortunately, most people aren’t adventurous, they either want to drive through and ogle (fair enough), tick peaks off a bucket list, or follow well-publicised paths shuffling along in each other’s footsteps when there are far more beautiful (and empty routes) just a few miles away.

Daytrippers bring a huge amount of litter and what do they add to the local economy? Not much. Pictures published recently of the horrible rubbish left by wild campers in the Scottish Highlands just broke my heart.

We need to respect our national parks, they are fragile environments, not just a background for selfies and drunken parties.

The park authorities in Wales must put up barriers and charge a toll to enter – in spite of the online complaints, it will not deter a single person.