Young people take part in their Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition at Thirlmere. Photo: Rod Ireland

A conservation charity said young people are able to find their inspiration in the beauty of the Lake District and do not need a zipwire to provide thrills in the area.

Support for the Friends of the Lake District’s view came from outdoor activities providers on the final day for making submissions to planners.

Tree Top Trek wants to build twin four-line zipwires across Thirlmere.

The scheme has attracted support from Cumbria Tourism, on whose executive committee Tree Top Treks owner Mike Turner sits; the Lake District Park Partnership Business Task Force, and Cumbria Chamber of Commerce.

But many organisations have expressed their opposition to the zipwire plans, including the Friends; the Wainwright Society; British Mountaineering Council; Open Spaces Society; National Trust, and individuals such as actor Caroline Quentin, president of the Campaign for National Parks and film-maker Terry Abraham.

The Friends said: “Many people involved in helping young people to experience the outdoors, as well as young people themselves, have expressed their concerns to landscape charity Friends of the Lake District.”

Among those, Stuart Sykes, chairman of the Windmill Youth Group, a group based in Blackpool, said: “Our media and youth project aims to get young people off their media appliances – and their posteriors – and out into the outdoors, to inspire young people to appreciate and respect the majesty of their natural environment, to preserve it, and to build up their health and strength both mentally and physically by encountering mother nature in the raw.

“Most of our young people live in an area with profound social and educational issues, one of the highest in the UK.

“If I wanted the excitement of a zipwire, I would take them to the Blackpool Pleasure Beach, a company ideally placed to provide all the thrills and spills anyone could imagine.

“Taking those young people to the beauty of Thirlmere, to a commercial scar upon its delicate ecosystems, would be an anathema to the whole aspect of making young people aware of their natural surroundings.”

Craig Geddes, of The Outdoors People, who leads outdoor education training courses, said: “As a provider of adventures to young people, The Outdoors People expressly supports the preservation of the Lake District for the enjoyment of all.

“The adventure experiences that we take our students on create amazing memories that last a lifetime and rely on getting young people out of built up environments and into the stunning countryside that the UK has to offer.

“We do not want to see that impact lessened by a single company’s pursuit of profit above all else.”

Today is the deadline for submissions to the Lake District National Park Authority.