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.

A single storey stone cottage overlooks a flower-filled garden
Sleeps
3
Bedrooms
2

Quiet Corner Cottage is a charming single-storey East Somerset holiday home with rural views situated in the peaceful village of Henstridge. It sleeps three people in two bedrooms.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Farm Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
A semi-detached Cotswold holiday cottage with leaded, bay windows overlooks a village street.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

The Dervish is a gorgeous Cotswold stone cottage nestled in the village of Broadway in Gloucestershire. The rural cottage boasts beams and antique furnishings, including an ornamental fireplace, and is centrally located for exploring the village and the surrounding wonders of the Cotswold countryside.

  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
A drive leds to a tall stone house with a mullioned bay window. A wood grows behind the house.
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
4

Treverbyn Vean Lodge is a large Grade II listed detached holiday home in Dobwalls, a large village within easy reach of beaches on the South coast of Cornwall. 

  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Fishing Holidays
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
Exterior of a large contemporatry house with a raised terrace and surrounded by mature gardens.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Clamoak Cottage is a charming waterfront cottage in Clamoak boasting a thoroughly modern interior combined with exposed beams and touches of yesteryear and an open fire. The pet-friendly cottage offers outdoor spaces with sweeping views of the Tamar River and the South Devon countryside.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
Aerial view of a country cottage on the edge of a wood overlooking fields in Glamorgan
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Nos Da (Welsh for 'good night') is a beautifully presented contemporary cottage offering the ideal tranquil escape in South Wales' beautiful countryside and nearby coastline. It is perfect for walkers and cyclists, and there are many attractions nearby, including the Millennium Stadium.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Remote Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Wisteria-clad, gable end of a restored weavers cottage with two rows of windows in The Pennines.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Tyas Cottage is a secluded rural cottage in West Yorkshire and offers lovely walks from its doorstep. The elegant pet-friendly cottage near Bradshaw boasts a sculpture-filled garden, antique furnishings, modern comforts, woodland views, a log fire, a four-poster bed and exposed beams.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Cottages with Hot Tubs
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A double-fronted, white rendered Ilfracombe cottage with traditional sash windows
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Partridge Cottage welcomes families and their pets to this charming and beautiful coastal corner of Devon. This rural holiday cottage near Ilfracombe sleeps six on a farm where children are welcome to help feed the lambs, pigs, goats and ducks.

  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Enjoy everything that the rural North East has to offer with a stay at The Granary, a magnificent red brick barn conversion on the edge of the village of Long Framlington, Northumberland, a countryside cottage complete with tiled and wood flooring, two en-suite bedrooms and private garden.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Small Cottages
Sleeps
11
Bedrooms
5

Stay in this large family-friendly Holiday Cottage in West Wales that sleeps 11. Also a pet-friendly cottage, it lies in the peaceful, secluded rural hamlet of Rhodiad y Brenin near St David’s. It is set in an enclosed grassy area full of rural character.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays