A record-breaking attempt at running across 78 Lake District peaks has failed, leaving Mark Hartell’s 13-year-old achievement intact.

Steve Birkinshaw was trying to smash the aforementioned sportsman’s accomplishment of 77 fells in 24 hours but, after falling behind schedule, was forced to abandon the project, Grough magazine reports.

At approximately 22:00 BST, he pulled up 23 peaks from his target after topping Pillar above Ennerdale.

“Once I knew the record was out of reach I lost all motivation, I started to feel all dizzy,” Mr Birkinshaw remarked in response to comments on the Fellrunners’ Association Forum.

He went on to note that the weather was as good as he could have asked for, but “I got my eating and drinking wrong again”.

This comes after four walkers on Lad Hows in the Lake District were caught in bad conditions and had to be airlifted to hospital, with one suffering a dislocated shoulder and another being hit by lightning, the news source reported.

The West Midlands county of Shropshire offers an ideal getaway retreat for lovers of the outdoors all year round.

With its rolling hills, picturesque scenery, medieval architecture and a wide range of outdoor walking activities available to ramblers of all ages and abilities, the region is a great option for a weekend or week away at any time of year.

However, during the summer months in particular, Shropshire becomes a popular tourist destination for both domestic and international holidaymakers.

The famous Shrewsbury Flower Show, which is renowned as one of Britain’s finest summer events, takes place in August and attracts visitors from all around the continent.

The traditional exhibition has been running since the mid 19^th century and features one of the most competitive horticultural displays for both professionals and amateurs alike.

However, the show is not just all about flowers as it also offers stands and stalls with some of the region’s best homemade food and produce, as well as gift stalls in the Home & Craft marquee and fun activities for children, meaning that the two-day convention is a real family-friendly affair.

And the Flower Show is not the only reason to visit the town of Shrewsbury. The destination, which sits on the banks of the River Severn, is an ideal location for those looking for some traditional culture and architecture.

The medieval urban area is steeped in history with buildings dating back to the Tudor period. It has many winding and narrow backstreets and is a favourite for lovers of long-established beers and ales with pubs and old inns aplenty in the town centre.

The town’s Campaign for Real Ale beer festival – which takes place in September – is another essential attraction for grown-up visitors.

Arguably Shrewsbury’s most renowned feature is its Town Walls watchtower – which is the last remaining14th-century tower of its once-fortified defensive walls – and is completely intact. The tower offers stunning views across the whole town and beyond on clear days.

Away from Shropshire’s most popular tourist hub, people looking for an opportunity to ramble on their holiday should look no further than the Long Mynd, which is an area of outstanding natural beauty and is situated south of Shrewsbury.

The Long Mynd offers fascinating walking attractions such as nationally-significant archaeology and geology, as well as stunning views across the nearby Welsh border of both the Brecon Beacons and Welsh Hills and also the Malvern Hills.

It offers superb walking, mountain biking and horse riding facilities, as well as the chance to see some of Britain’s rarest and most amazing rural wildlife in the flesh and superb visitor facilities including a traditional Shropshire tea-room and shop.

Meanwhile, close to the Long Mynd in the small town of Church Stretton, which is around ten miles south of Shrewsbury, is the county’s Carding Mill Valley.

The Valley – another official area of outstanding natural beauty – is well-known in walking circles and offers around 5,000 acres of pure, unspoilt heather-covered hills that features the opportunity of rambling across several different terrains.

As Britain’s largest National Park, the Cairngorns has something for everyone.

Whether you’re an expert walker seeking the adrenaline-rush of climbing some of the country’s most challenging peaks, or simply looking for a location to get away from it all in idyllic and tranquil surroundings, the Cairngorns can cater for all holidaying wants and needs for all ages.

The serene region, which is situated in northern Scotland, covers a total area of 3,800 sq km of unspoilt and picturesque British countryside. It is some 40 per cent larger in area than another of the country’s most popular outdoor locations – the Lake District – and is around twice as big as the Trossachs and Loch Lomond.

For those after an active walking holiday, the National Park offers four of the largest five mountains in Scotland, with its highest peak being the 4,296 feet-tall Ben Macdui, which is second only to Ben Nevis in terms of highest mountains in the British Isles.

Meanwhile, there are more than 50 summits above 900 metres tall and 68 per cent of the total land area of the park is over 400 metres above sea level.

Also, novices and experts alike are sure to want to experience the most diverse array of different landforms anywhere in Europe, as the Cairngorns offers land ranging from Ice Age glaciers to granite tors and heavings. The park features its very own arctic wilderness – known at the Montane Zone – which is 600 metres above sea level and is the country’s largest such area.

The Cairngorns is not just an attractive holiday resort, however. Some 16,000 people live in substantially-sized towns, villages and hamlets within the park’s boundaries. However, with just one person per 4.2 sq km, the population density is among the lowest in the country and you could quite easily spend a day in the park without so much as seeing a local.

Major towns within the park include Aviemore, Ballater, Braemar and Kingussie, but it is estimated that tourists visiting the area and partaking in activities such as fishing, shooting and skiing account for around 80 per cent of its economic income.

Perhaps the best way to navigate around the vast expanse is to head off on a ranger-led group tour. This way, visitors will be guided around areas of the huge park by people who know it like the back of their hand and will have the opportunity to learn about the region’s plants, native pine woods and wildlife.

Around 25 per cent of the UK’s threatened bird, animal and plant species – including Golden Eagles, Ospreys, Dotterrills and Crested Tits – as well as being the primary place in the country to spot the Scottish Crossbill.

People eager to stretch their legs and exercise while on holiday, but do not want to go as far as attempting to scale a mountain, may be interested in activities such as mountain biking and canoeing. These sports can be great ways to see areas of the park that are not accessible by foot.

Three mountaineers are set to reveal whether the peak of Tryfan in Snowdonia is entitled to the status of being a bona-fide munro.

Grough reports that experienced trekkers Graham Jackson, Myrddyn Phillips and John Barnard are heading up the peak to determine whether or not the mountain, which is positioned in the Ogwen Valley, can be classified as being above the magical 3,000-foot barrier.

On ordnance survey maps, the peak is defined as being 915 metres tall, which places it in the grey area of whether or not it can be labelled as a munro.

Officially, 914.4 metres equates to 3,000 feet, but messrs Phillips, Jackson and Barnard have already been responsible for the downgrading of borderline cases such as Sgurr nan Ceannaichean.

According to the Munro Society website, the three men will measure the mountain on the basis of the official two-stage process. Firstly, they will find the peak’s summit position before then measuring the height of this exact spot.

It has been announced that governmental plans to spend £7 billion on a new fleet of rescue helicopters have been halted due to budget cuts.

In a speech given yesterday (June 17th), chief secretary to the treasury Danny Alexander said that the new coalition government had inherited 217 projects from the previous administration worth a total of £34 billion.

All these developments were subsequently resubmitted to Mr Alexander for re-approval, but instances that he and his staff felt had not "demonstrated value for money" were cancelled or suspended.

Some 24 projects have now been either scrapped or delayed, a move which the minister says will save the country around £10.5 billion as the government desperately seeks to cut Britain’s trade deficit.

One of the projects to be suspended is the planned replacement of the ageing Sea King rescue helicopters, which was due to begin in 2012. The older vehicles were scheduled to be succeeded by Sikorskys, which are faster and more modern models.

National parks throughout England will have five per cent taken from their budgets this year, it was revealed today (June 17th).

Almost immediately after winning the general election on May 6th, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition announced its plans to begin reducing the country’s estimated trade deficit of more than £140 billion by shedding over £6.2 billion from the public spending bill before April 2011.

Grough reports that the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) – which has the role of protecting the environment for future generations and funds the country’s national parks – has admitted that its spending power will be reduced in the coming months.

A spokesman for the governmental branch said that these savings would be made through increasing efficiency.

"All Defra’s main arm’s length bodies have had their funding reduced by five per cent as part of our contribution to the £6.2 billion efficiency savings this financial year," he added.