A surfer traverses a large wave. Find holiday cottages for active holidays in the open air.

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.

Exterior of a modern chalet bungalow with block-paved drive.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Set in the heart of Christchurch is 27 Wick Lane, a spacious cottage minutes from the Dorset coast. The light-filled cottage sleeps 6 and boasts a generous lawned garden with furniture and an interior with ample windows, garden views, open-plan design, elegant furnishings and contemporary comforts.

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A Stone-built cottage surrounded by a low stone wall with open fields beyond.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Escape to the splendour of the Pembrokeshire Coast with a stay at Clicketts Heath. This spacious and welcoming countryside cottage is located between the Welsh towns of Tenby and Saundersfoot. The cottage is pet-friendly and features a well-equipped kitchen, a sitting room with Freeview TV, and three first-floor bedrooms.

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Exterior of a thatched cottage with porch and low stone wall.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Old Maids Cottage is a luxury holiday cottage on the spectacular North Devon coast. It has been fully restored as an open-plan holiday home for six people, with three double bedrooms (two en-suite). You’ll enjoy this picture-perfect thatched cottage, which oozes the holiday feeling from the moment you arrive.

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Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

The upside-down design of Barn Cottage captures the beautiful views of the Yorkshire countryside and adds another feature to this award-winning holiday cottage near Pickering. The rural cottage offers extensive manicured gardens with multiple play areas and spaces to entertain, relax and truly unwind.

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A mid-terrace, 3-storey town house overlooking a quiet street.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
4

Located directly opposite the Cathedral, 3 Palace Yard is an elegant townhouse in the heart of Hereford. The Herefordshire holiday cottage boasts contemporary chic underscored with a subtle palette. It offers a games room, a spacious open-plan design and pleasant views.

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A farmhouse lounge with large sofas and a widescreen TV
Sleeps
12
Bedrooms
5

James’s Parlour is a spacious converted Georgian barn set on lush green fields in Alkington, Shropshire. The large rural cottage offers an open-plan design, exposed beams, trusses and brick pillars, and extensive furnished grounds with an indoor swimming pool, multi-sports court and play area.

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A stone cottage surrounded by fields overlooks a large garden with apple trees.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Hearn Lodge sits on 12 acres of wildlife meadows and boasts beautiful views of the Somerset countryside. The detached rural cottage in Bishops Lydeard offers seclusion and beauty and rewards guests with a conservatory, a private garden, a log fire, a farmhouse kitchen and a blend of old and new.

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Sleeps
5
Bedrooms
3

Cecily Cottage is located in an elevated position of Westward Ho!, providing beautiful views of the ocean and the North Devon coastline. This pet-friendly Victorian holiday cottage can accommodate up to five people and features a relaxing enclosed garden, bold décor, and a wood-burning stove. It is close to the beach.

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L-shaped exterior of a wooden barn conversion with floor-to-ceiling folding windows.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Vaulted beamed ceilings and contemporary comforts greet visitors at 5c Hideways, a Norfolk coastal cottage just moments from the beaches of Hunstanton. The single-storey cottage promises light and airy open-plan spaces, a sunny courtyard, a sea breeze, and access to Norfolk's coastline.

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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 direct to check that what you want to do on holiday is precisely the activity accessible at the cottage.