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.

Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

The Old School is a gorgeous stone and tiled cottage that once educated South Perrott's youth. The pet-friendly holiday cottage in Dorset retains its Gothic arched doors, mullion windows and vaulted beamed ceilings and boasts a Loggia in a beautiful garden, a wood burner and countryside views.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Entry arch and adjoining granite-built cottage overlook a castle courtyard.
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

The National Trust for Scotland offers Courtyard Cottage, a romantic apartment inside Drum Castle in Drumoak. The pet-friendly holiday cottage in Aberdeenshire dates back 700 years and boasts antique furnishings in keeping with its history, as well as an open fire, contemporary comforts and beautiful grounds.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Modern, 3-storey Dorset eco-lodge overlooking a patio and large lawn.
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
3

Harbour Lights is a spacious seaside cottage located in Dorset, situated between Bridport and West Bay. The cottage provides modern amenities and offers breathtaking views of both the countryside and the sea. It is pet-friendly and comes with a large furnished terrace, perfect for hosting gatherings. Inside, the cottage features elegant Corian work surfaces, as well as marble and wooden floors.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Fishing Holidays
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A large cottage with a ground floor extension is surrounded by open fields and moorland.
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

Enjoy a romantic rural retreat in the Derbyshire Peak District at Hathaway Cottage, a stone-built cottage for couples on a working hill farm in the hamlet of Oilerbrook near Castleton. Enjoy majestic countryside views, comfortable accommodation, and easy access to the Pennine Way.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
A terrace of contemporary Cornish seaside cottages bathed in sunshine.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

The Sand Dunes in the seaside village of Crantock, Cornwall, offers the perfect holiday escape along the South West coast, a child-friendly coastal cottage featuring downstairs under-floor heating, an enclosed garden with a patio, and two bedrooms that comfortably sleep four guests.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Entrance to a single storey seaside barn conversion in front of which is a wooden picnic table.
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

Couples on holiday in the north of England enjoy cosy accommodation at The Goat Shed, a barn conversion in the rural hamlet of High Normanby, North Yorkshire, a pet-friendly holiday cottage that retains much of its original character and sits near the Yorkshire coast and in North York Moors National Park.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
3

The Cider House is a charming thatched cottage set on North End Farm in Chideock, Dorset. The large, pet-friendly cottage sleeps eight. It features exposed beams, stone walls, wooden floors, endless rural charm, an open-plan design, and multiple outdoor spaces for enjoying fresh air and views.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Independent Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A slate-roofed, stone-barn conversion to create a South Devon holiday cottage overlooks two spacious split level terraces in the countryside.
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
4

Butterwell Barn is a Victorian barn converted into a comfortable South Devon holiday home that sleeps up to eight near the seaside town of Dartmouth. This pet-friendly rural cottage offers reverse-level accommodation with high vaulted ceilings, oak beams, and four en-suite bedrooms.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Surrounded byb open fields, a barn conversion nestles under a large tree
Sleeps
26
Bedrooms
17

An award-winning collection of seven luxury holiday cottages is set on our farm, just two miles from Beverley in East Yorkshire. There are two, three, four, and six-bedroom cottages with free Wi-Fi. You can arrive any day, and there are ground-floor bedrooms with wet rooms. Pets are welcome, and you can see virtual tours. The cottages have been awarded 5-star gold.

  • Accessible Cottages
  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Eco Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Walking Holidays

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.