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 Cornish cottage surrouded by a tree-lined garden.
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

Millstream is a Tintagel holiday cottage for couples set in the picturesque St. Nectan’s Glen along the North Cornwall coast. This romantic rural retreat for two is in a former corn mill and retains its character, with a quaint arched door and sofa that converts into a full-size double bed.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
Sea views from a beach-front villa window leyin Fi
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

With beautiful sea views, Beach Villa offers a wonderful ocean escape for families and pets in Filey, North Yorkshire. The coastal cottage offers multiple outdoor entertaining areas which capture the view, and the interior boasts contemporary coastal chic as well as a carefree and relaxing vibe.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Independent Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
A modern brick house with a large sunroom is surrounded by mature gardens.
Sleeps
5
Bedrooms
3

The Coach House is a delightful detached country cottage in Herefordshire with an outdoor swimming pool. It is located in the village of Welford, a Wye Valley village near Ross-on-Wye. The dog-friendly cottage offers cosy, well-equipped self-catering accommodation for 2-5 guests in 3 bedrooms (one ground floor).

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Fishing Holidays
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A tree-lined drive way curves toward a large rendered holiday home in Perthshire.
Sleeps
16
Bedrooms
8

The Duke of Atholl built this large Perthshire holiday cottage as a shooting lodge and offers beautiful rural views from its hillside location near Dunkeld. Riechip now offers pet-friendly self-catering accommodation in 8 bedrooms for up to 16 guests. Perfect for walking or golfing holidays.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A large farmhouse stands at the end of a wide drive with lawns to one side.
Sleeps
22
Bedrooms
10

Lowe Farmhouse is a large Holiday Cottage near Hereford located on a 230-acre farm in the Herefordshire countryside. It sleeps 22 in 10 bedrooms with ample communal areas, two well-equipped kitchens, a large dining room, and a games room. It's stunningly rural but not isolated - it's just a ten-minute walk to the local village and pub.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages With Games Rooms
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Independent Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
A single storey Tintagel Garden Apartment overlooks a large rockery.
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

The Garden Apartment is a small, romantic cottage for couples with sea views on the spectacular North Cornwall coast between Tintagel and Bossiney Cove. Features a wood burner, TV, double bedroom, and fitted kitchen—close to great beaches and stunning seaside scenery. Pets welcome.

  • Agency Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Small Cottages
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

The Stables at The Lammas is an elegant Cotswold stone barn conversion with a truly unique outdoor dining area surrounded by mature gardens in the village of Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire. The rural cottage boasts two courtyards, contemporary luxury and proximity to the best of the Cotswolds.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Godrevy Lighthouse complex in a clifftop location.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Godrevy enjoys unrivalled views from its location atop the cliffs on the southernmost point of mainland Britain. The pet-friendly, seaside cottage in the Lizard Lighthouse offers modern comforts and spectacular views plus access to coastal walking paths and the beautiful beaches of Cornwall.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
A large L-shaped Gwynedd holiday cottage house with a deck and rockery garden. garden.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Outdoor enthusiasts of all ages can use Llety’r Bugail, a country cottage with mountain views located in the small market town of Dolgellau, Gwynedd, as their home base to explore scenic Snowdonia National Park by foot or mountain bike or make a day of it at nearby Fairbourne Beach. Sleeps 6.

  • Accessible Cottages
  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays