Where should Simon go in 2019?

Q Please tell me five places in the UK that you haven’t been to and would like to visit in 2019?

Poppy C

A I will start in Scotland. I have been fortunate enough to visit many of the nation’s islands, from Barra in the Outer Hebrides to Papa Westray in Orkney. But I have still not made it to the archipelago of St Kilda, the remotest part of the British Isles, about 40 miles west of Benbecula in the far northwest of Scotland. It is one of the few places inscribed on the Unesco world heritage list both for natural and cultural significance.

Next, I hope I can make a circuit of Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland, southeast of Belfast – officially the largest inlet in the British Isles. It is enclosed to the east by the scenic Ards Peninsula, and the Portaferry–Strangford ferry (£5.80 for a car and driver, £1 for passengers) makes a circumnavigation easy.

In northeast Wales, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is another world heritage site. “The stream in the sky” is an engineering miracle still in use by narrow boats, and I intend to walk it in one direction and drift over in the other.

Further north, I aim to reach the summit of Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain. My initial research has made me feel a bit wobbly: “It’s a formidable mountain that needs respect, with no such thing as an easy route up the mountain to be had,” says the independent, non-corporate site walkupscafellpike.co.uk. “All the walks and hikes are a challenge, and well worth the effort to reach the roof of England.”

Finally, I look forward to the easier transportational challenge of reaching Frome – a Somerset settlement whose alternative view of the world, I understand, makes it a triplet town with nearby Glastonbury and Totnes in Devon. Stores such as Raves from the Grave (vinyl classics) and lanes like Gentle Street look enticing. All this is available just off the A359 – or by rail, with Frome at the centre of one of Britain’s weirdest scheduled train services, Gloucester to Weymouth.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder