A £100,000 appeal to raise money to “mend our mountains” includes some of the region's most iconic peaks and paths.

The appeal has been launched by the British Mountaineering Council with backing from celebrity climbers and environmentalists who are concerned that booming visitor numbers and smaller budgets made worse by the extensive flood damage is making it harder for National Parks and conservationists to keep up with repairs.

The appeal Mend Our Mountains at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/mendourmountains will include repairing and maintain paths at Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales and the Lyke Wake Walk on the North York Moors.

Carey Davies, hill walking officer for the Mountaineering Council, said: “Over time, the steady pounding of feet can blight the mountains, causing erosion scars that harm the local ecology and ruin people’s enjoyment.

"Erosion is one of the biggest and most expensive problems to manage. In the past, in popular places like the Yorkshire Dales, some of these scars caused by countless feet have grown to up to 30 metres, motorways of damage as wide as parts of the M1.

“To manage this problem needs effective intervention, usually through the construction of paths, which help to heal the mountain landscape and protect habitats and wildlife. But they are not cheap to construct. And in these straitened times, where austerity is the mantra, money is in increasingly short supply.”

Climber Chris Bonington said: “Together we can make a difference. If the whole outdoor public comes together we can provide a financial lifeline for these vital environmental projects at a time of need.”