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.

A  stone-built cottage overlooks a large lawn surrounded by flowering shrubs and bushes.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

A perfect rural retreat set amidst a working sheep farm within the Exmoor National Park, Mill Cottage in Luxborough offers comfortable upside-down accommodation for up to six guests, a child-friendly cottage in Somerset with a spacious living area, a wood-burning stove, and an enclosed garden.

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The tower of a windmill (no sails) surrounded by a shrub-filled garden.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Once a working flour mill for over 100 years, Aylsham Windmill now offers luxurious, family-friendly self-catering holidays (with Wi-Fi) for 2-6 guests in Aylsham, a picturesque rural market town in North Norfolk midway between Norwich and the coast at Cromer.

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Sleeps
5
Bedrooms
3
  • Stables Cottage is a superb 16th-century farmhouse surrounded by some of Yorkshire’s most spectacular countryside. This Bronte Country Pennine holiday cottage sleeps 6, with an open fire and a pretty garden. The town of Hebden Bridge is 3 miles away, with pubs, tea rooms and an independent cinema.
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Rear exterior of a long 2-storey cottage overlooking a paved terrace with a hot tub and a lawn.
Sleeps
14
Bedrooms
6

Offering beautiful views over the Severn Valley, Old Rectory Cottage in a sleepy, rural Mid-Wales hamlet is a large holiday cottage near Newtown sleeping 14. This pet-friendly holiday home also has an indoor swimming pool and hot tub. Perfect for walking, cycling and fishing holidays.

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Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
2

9 Porth Meor Villas offers seaside self-catering accommodation in an award-winning Newquay Holiday Apartment overlooking Porth Beach and the outdoor heated swimming pool. No.9 sleeps 6 guests in 2 (double and twin) bedrooms (both en suite) 3 minutes walk from the beach. Available all year round.

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Falmouth waterfront with moored boats overlooked by houses and apartments.
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
4

This large seaside holiday home in Falmouth provides an unrivalled location to enjoy your Cornish holiday. Nightingale House is on the waterfront overlooking Falmouth Harbour, with amazing views from most rooms and a huge terrace. It has four double bedrooms, three bathrooms, off-road parking for two cars and WiFi.

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 L-shaped, 2-storey holiday home in Minehead with a large garden
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
4

Lily House is situated on a quiet road close to the centre of the seaside town of Minehead, Somerset, and nestled into the wooded slopes of North Hill. This large Exmoor holiday cottage offers a welcoming and homey feel, a child-friendly house with two sitting rooms, a woodburner stove, and four first-floor bedrooms.

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A large barn conversion in KEndal overlooks a  lawn surrounded by mature shrubs and bushes.
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

Book a luxury rural retreat for two at Hollins Farm Barn in New Hutton, near the idyllic town of Kendal, Gateway to the Lake District. Gothic-style bedrooms with crook beams and exposed stonework await the lucky couple coming for a honeymoon or a romantic weekend/week-long holiday.

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Sleeps
16
Bedrooms
7

Winster Hall is a Peak District beauty: A former 17th-Century coaching inn, the large Grade II listed, pet-friendly holiday home now welcomes guests on a self-catering basis, sleeping 16 in 7 bedrooms in the rural conservation village of Winster in the Derbyshire Dales.

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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.