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

Two Tweenways, near the Lake District village of Ambleside, is the perfect romantic holiday cottage for couples in Cumbria. It is complete with a fitted kitchen, dining area, small patio with garden furniture, and access to magnificent Lake Windermere and its nearby attractions.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
A lighthouse and buildings now converted to holiday cottages gleams in the summer sun in Broadstairs.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Lodesman Cottage enjoys sweeping ocean views from its position within the North Foreland Lighthouse above the beaches of Broadstairs. The unique coastal holiday cottage in Kent sleeps 4 and offers sophisticated light and airy accommodation plus spacious grounds for relaxing in the sun and the light sea breeze.

  • Accessible By Train
  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Fishing Holidays
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
A reed-fringed lake sits in front of a 2-storey Shropshire barn conversion.
Sleeps
10
Bedrooms
6

Buttercups Haybarn is a detached 5-star rural cottage set amidst woodland and green fields in Alkington, Shropshire. The luxurious Georgian cottage blends tradition with urban chic, with shared use of an indoor swimming pool, multi-sports court, an Under 5's play area, plus wonderful rural views.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages with Car Chargers
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Eco Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Holiday Cottages With a Pool
  • Independent Cottages
  • Large Cottage Discounts
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
A timber house on stilts beneath lime trees overlooks a large fenced garden.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

The Apple Tree House is a 5-star gold-rated rural cottage near Halse in Somerset. It is pet-friendly and sits below two mature lime trees, giving it the appearance of a mystical tree house. The Somerset holiday cottage combines country charm and modern amenities such as a swimming pool and a log burner. Guests can enjoy seclusion and a holiday amidst the idyllic foothills of The Quantocks.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages with Car Chargers
  • Cottages with Hot Tubs
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Eco Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Holiday Cottages With a Pool
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A 2-storey Dorset mill conversion overlooks a terrace and lawned garden.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

The Mill is a well-equipped coastal holiday cottage with Wi-Fi available all year round. It sleeps six and is set in 7.5 acres of Dorset countryside. The Mill is only a short walk from the village pub and a short drive to the market town of Bridport / West Bay, which is famous as the location for TVs Broadchurch.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Independent Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
A stone barn conversion with a wisteria-clad pergola over the front door is surrounded by large lawns.
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

Perfectly located for exploring the Peak District, Church Barn is a beautifully presented countryside cottage with beamed ceilings, flagged floors, an open fire and a mature garden. This cosy holiday cottage for couples lies in the pretty village of Fenny Bentley, surrounded by glorious countryside.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Elk Cottage is a charming rural cottage located next to Glassonby Hall in Glassonby, Cumbria. This award-winning pet-friendly cottage accommodates up to four people and boasts a delightful terraced garden, oak floors, a well-equipped kitchen, stunning beams and stone walls, antique furnishings, and an elegant atmosphere. To add to its charm, there is also a log fire nestled in a traditional fireplace.

  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Fishing Holidays
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
A restored windmill stands in the middle of a field of ripe wheat.
Sleeps
12
Bedrooms
6

This luxuriously furnished windmill in the countryside near Usk in Monmouthshire was built in 1813 and lovingly restored to create a large, quirky holiday cottage sleeping 12 close to the Brecon Beacons National Park. Pets welcome.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Exterior of a sonte-buklt Exmoor holiday cottage with a background of trees and a clear sky
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Set on a working farm of 280 acres in Exmoor National Park is Honeycott, a lovingly-converted remote holiday cottage near Wheddon Cross in Somerset. Sleeping 4, the pet-friendly cottage features a stone exterior, expansive grounds with views, private outdoor spaces, and a generous open-plan design.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays