A surfer traverses a large wave.

Book Self-Catering Holiday Cottages For Active Holidays

Scroll down to find a choice of self-catering cottages suitable for those seeking an active holiday involving sporting or outdoor pursuits. Whether walking in England, climbing mountains in Scotland, riding rapids or zip wires in Wales, the holiday cottages listed here will be near an attractive choice of activities to enjoy in the great outdoors. Many activity cottages will offer on-site facilities such as fishing, swimming pools and tennis courts or will be surrounded by long, bracing walks in the country or along the miles of scenic coastal footpaths. 

Click on the preview description of any cottage to view its main page.

A cluster of houses nestle alongside a stone bridge over a river.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Fell Beck enjoys dual-aspect views of an adjacent beck and lies on the edge of the lovely Yorkshire Dales village of Burnsall. The stone-built rural holiday cottage boasts true character and modern comforts and features a wood-burning stove and a sunlit courtyard. Relax in style and explore the scenic county of North Yorkshire.

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A lighthouse and cottages stand on a clifftop against an ocean background.
Sleeps
5
Bedrooms
3

Penda is a beautifully restored ex-lighthouse keeper's cottage at St Catherine's Lighthouse on the Isle of Wight. Its rural cliff-top location with superb sea views makes it a most appealing Ventnor holiday cottage. Sleeps 2-5. Pets welcome.

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A Lighthouse complex on a clifftop with panoramic ocean views.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Panoramic ocean views stretch before Verity Cottage, a sophisticated coastal cottage within Trevose Head Lighthouse. The coast of Cornwall lies on either side of the cottage, which boasts outdoor entertaining spaces, contemporary comfort, light and airy design, the chance to get away from it all with more clean, fresh, revitalising air than you could shake a windsock at.

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A clifftop lighthouse complex in Kent with well-kept lawns.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

On the North Foreland Lighthouse site above Broadstairs, this delightful cottage features entrance hall, fully fitted kitchen, sitting room, dining room, bathroom, double bedroom and single bedroom with full size bed and comfortable pull-out bed.

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Exterior view of St Anne's Lighthouse complex on the Isle of Wight.
Sleeps
5
Bedrooms
3

Fancy a lighthouse holiday? Book Gunard, a Ventnor holiday cottage, part of St Catherine's Lighthouse on the Isle of Wight. With superb sea views, this pet-friendly waterside cottage sleeps 5 in a secluded rural location right above the waves.

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Kitchen worktops and dining table in a Norfolk cottage with oak-beamed ceilings.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Stockman’s Cottage is a delightfully sophisticated rural cottage featured in Country Living Magazine. The pet-friendly holiday cottage near Derham, Norfolk, promises a gorgeous garden, fresh air, exposed beams, an inglenook fireplace with a wood burner, and contemporary style and rural seclusion.

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2-storey barn conversion with a patio for dining and large lawn.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Rampisham Hill Farm Barn sits in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on a working sheep farm near Hooke in Dorset, & the rural cottage promises beautiful views, spacious outdoor areas, an open fire, fresh farm eggs, contemporary comfort, open-plan design, serenity & access to the Jurassic Coast.

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A 2-storey Cornish Barn conversion overlooks well-kept lawns and gardens.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Tregadjack Barn is a small and private, secluded cottage with two beautiful gardens near the town of Helston, Cornwall, offering beautiful long views along the rolling tree-covered countryside to the sea at Mounts Bay; the two-bedroom, pet-friendly oasis welcomes guests with a homemade fish pie!

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A n ewly thatched Devon cottage overlooking a spacious lawn.
Sleeps
5
Bedrooms
3

The Manger is an authentic rural cottage holiday cottage near Axminster, nestled among woodland and fields in East Devon. The lovely pet-friendly cottage of stone and thatch possesses a generous garden with a pond and orchard, a table tennis table, an interior with lime-washed walls, exposed beams, and gentle rustic charm.

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Activity holidays don't need to involve knuckle experiences. For families with young children or those preferring a 'healthy holiday' without the risk of injury, consider hiring bicycles to explore a Sustrans Cycle route or a cycle path such as the Tarka Trail in North Devon or The Bonsal Trail in Derbyshire. To ensure that a holiday cottage has precisely what you are looking for, e.g. an outdoor shower for washing the salt of wetsuits and surfboards, use the Visit Website button to go to a cottage's website for further information. Alternatively, e-mail or phone the owners directly to check that what you want to do on holiday is precisely the activity accessible at the cottage.