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.

Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

A charming, modern Lake District holiday apartment for two set in an idyllic rural location, this beautifully decorated property in Bowness-on-Windermere sleeps two and is a perfect base from which to explore the Lake and surrounding countryside.

  • Accessible By Train
  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
A long, stone-built cottage with 3 floor-to-ceiling ground-floor windows overlooking a spacious lawn.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Enjoy the benefits of a coastal cottage situated on a working farm with a stay at Dorothy’s Cottage, located just outside the village of Alnmouth. This child-friendly holiday cottage in Northumberland offers modern, comfortable, spacious accommodation and access to a shared garden and lawn area.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Farm Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A Cotswold holidy cottage with a vine-covered exterior.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

The 99 Yew Trees is a gorgeous 3-bedroom holiday cottage in Painswick overlooking the church in the heart of The Cotswolds. The 16th-century townhouse boasts a lavish garden full of mature plants and a neutral palette accentuated by traditional features such as the fireplace, wood burner, exposed beams and stone walls.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Discover the coastal serenity of 16 Combehaven, a top-floor duplex apartment in Salcombe, South Devon. This holiday rental is ideally situated just a 5-minute walk from Salcombe's heart and offers three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a balcony with stunning estuary views. Featuring modern amenities, underground parking, and close proximity to sandy beaches, it promises to be the perfect South Devon retreat. Come and explore the charm of this Salcombe holiday rental and escape to the seaside, where comfort meets coastal allure.

  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Fishing Holidays
  • Short Breaks
A lighthouse on a clifftop overlooking the ocean.
Sleeps
5
Bedrooms
3

Situated on the grounds of a working lighthouse at the southernmost point in Devon, Landward Cottage near the abandoned coastal village of Hallsands overlooks Start Bay. It offers gorgeous sea views and a pet-friendly three-bedroom South Devon holiday cottage featuring a gravel patio and cosy sitting room.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
A white-rendered contemporary house fronted by iron-railings.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Introducing Exmoor View, an inviting countryside property nestling in North Molton, a peaceful Moorland village in North Devon. Step into a contemporary, pet-friendly retreat where stylish touches of grey and white walls and hints of lilac and purple pay homage to the nearby heather-clad moorland. This 3-bedroom Exmoor holiday home sleeps six.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Double-fronted exterior of a rural holiday cottage with a large paved terrace.
Sleeps
12
Bedrooms
6

South View Country House, a spacious holiday home near Henley-in-Arden, will be available from April 2024. It can accommodate up to 12 guests and offers a brand-new hot tub, stunning rural views, and complete privacy.

  • Accessible By Train
  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages with Hot Tubs
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Independent Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A 3-storey holiday cottage in Swanage with twin bay windows.
Sleeps
14
Bedrooms
7

Enjoy the beauty of the Jurassic Coast with a stay at 20 Ulwell Road, a large Swanage holiday let in Swanage on the Dorset coast, along the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck. This three-storey pet-friendly cottage boasts seven bedrooms, an AGA cooker set in exposed brickwork, an annexe with an en-suite king-size bedroom, and a tiered garden.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
2-storey exterior of. stone-built barn conversion overlooking a paved terrace and a lawn
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

Harvest Cottage welcomes couples to a pretty stone and pantiled farm cottage near Pickering in the heart of picturesque Levisham. The pet-friendly, one-bedroom barn conversion offers ample gardens and peace and quiet. It is an ideal base for exploring the North York Moors and coast.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Small Cottages