An octagonal, stone-built toll house shaded by trees.

Book Self-Catering Holidays in Quirky Holiday Cottages

Fancy a self-catering holiday in a quirky and unusual holiday property? Who wouldn’t say no to a holiday with friends in a luxury lighthouse or a beautifully restored Napoleonic Fort?

Search here to find an architecturally unique holiday cottage for a more than usually memorable holiday with family or friends. The UK has a splendid choice of distinctive and unusual character cottages appealing to those looking for something slightly different from a traditional house. 

While quirky cottages are not the ‘everyday’ holiday property, they still offer the same standards, facilities, and amenities you would expect to find in any decent holiday property worth its salt. Types of out-of-the-ordinary holiday lets include (but are not limited to):

  • Lighthouses
  • Windmills
  • Restored railway stations and carriages
  • Castles and Forts.
  • Shepherds Huts
  • Narrow Boats
  • Tree-houses
  • Signal boxes
  •  Follies 

View this collection of distinctive holiday properties to find one with that ‘must-stay’ funky factor for a long holiday or just a weekend break.

Exterior of a single storey holiday lodge overlooking s garden with palm trees.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
3

Elm is an ideal seaside escape. The coastal holiday cottage in Blue Anchor Bay, Somerset, boasts incredible ocean and countryside views from its delightful gardens, which catch the sea breeze. The cottage also offers a games room, wheelchair access, and contemporary comforts and is within easy reach of Exmoor and The Quantock Hills.

  • Accessible By Train
  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Cottages With Games Rooms
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Independent Cottages
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

High Bridge Haven boasts beautiful ocean views from its gardens and offers couples a romantic getaway in Kirkby-in-Furness. The newly-built cedar cottage rests on spacious grounds in Cumbria and offers true sophistication, a gazebo with a hot tub, a light-filled interior and a wood-burning stove.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Cottages with Hot Tubs
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Remote Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Hafton Castle from drone
Sleeps
42
Bedrooms
19

Hafton Castle is a beautiful historic building nestling next to the loch in Hunter's Quay, just outside Dunoon on the Cowal Peninsula.

The Castle is a large holiday home, totally self-catering and can accommodate up to 42 guests in 19 en-suite bedrooms.  The living accommodation comprises sitting rooms, a dining room, a library and a large conservatory, providing plenty of communal space for the 42 guests.

There is a large indoor swimming pool, a games room with snooker and a children's playground.

There are lovely grounds in which to walk, play and picnic and plenty of parking.

  • Active Holidays
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Cottages With Games Rooms
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
A stone-built house with loft conversion overlooks a low-walled front courtyard.
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
4

The Dog House is a large and impressive coastal holiday home in Porlock. The pet-friendly cottage on the Exmoor coast sleeps eight and boasts a stone exterior, a sunny furnished courtyard, a spacious interior with natural light, an open-plan design and a wood burner.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Spacious, open-Plan interior of a modern seaside holiday apartment.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

A modern luxury apartment home in a brand-new North Devon coastal complex, 5 Putsborough in the heart of the seaside resort village of Woolacombe, Devon, offers a family-friendly holiday stay, a pet-friendly home with a master bedroom having a  king-sized bedroom and an en-suite bathroom, private balcony, and access to indoor pool and gym.

  • Accessible Cottages
  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Cottages With Games Rooms
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Holiday Cottages With a Pool
  • Independent Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Rear exterior of a long 2-storey cottage overlooking a paved terrace with a hot tub and a lawn.
Sleeps
14
Bedrooms
6

Offering beautiful views over the Severn Valley, Old Rectory Cottage in a sleepy, rural Mid-Wales hamlet is a large holiday cottage near Newtown sleeping 14. This pet-friendly holiday home also has an indoor swimming pool and hot tub. Perfect for walking, cycling and fishing holidays.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages with Hot Tubs
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Holiday Cottages With a Pool
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Large thatched cottage overlooking a large lawn fringed with flowering shrubs.
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
4

Old Thatch is a charming Grade II-listed coastal cottage in Torcross, Devon, with panoramic ocean views and expansive grounds. The masterfully renovated thatched-roof cottage boasts landscaped furnished gardens, a sun-drenched conservatory, a log fire, exposed beams and beach access.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Exterior of a stone-built cottage overlooking a paved courtyard with dining table and chairs.
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

The Cottage, located in Catford House, is a charming and romantic cottage situated in the heart of Somerset, on the edge of Exmoor National Park. Nestled in the Quantock Hills, this rural cottage is surrounded by stunning countryside and offers couples a recently refurbished and pet-friendly retreat that features a private courtyard and all modern amenities for a comfortable stay.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Sleeps
10
Bedrooms
5

Cherry Tree Farmhouse is a Grade II listed rural cottage dating back to the 1600s. The large 5-star gold-rated holiday cottage near Halse in Somerset spoils guests with a log burner, hot tub, swimming pool, games room, vast outdoor play and entertaining areas, and lovely views, plus access to sandy beaches.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages with Car Chargers
  • Cottages With Games Rooms
  • Cottages with Hot Tubs
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Eco Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Holiday Cottages With a Pool
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays