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
4
Bedrooms
2

Cornflower Cottage is a beautifully-converted rural retreat in Somerset, which provides the ideal location for a family holiday. Sitting between the country and the coast, the pet-friendly cottage in Halse, with a hot tub and swimming pool,  features a log burner, delightful views and a gorgeous stone exterior.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages with Car Chargers
  • Cottages with Hot Tubs
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Eco Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Holiday Cottages With a Pool
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
A mature garden slopes up to a large house backed by trees.
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
4

Gaze across the coastline of Porlock Bay from Elthorne, a large Exmoor coastal cottage just moments from the centre of Porlock, a desirable little seaside town in Somerset. Play with your pets in the beautiful private gardens and relax in the 1930s cottage with a wood burner and spacious light-filled rooms.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Treverbyn Vean Stable is a tastefully refurbished detached 2-bedroom holiday home in the Cornish countryside near Dobwalls/ This waterside cottage is surrounded by almost one acre of beautiful grounds, including a garden and private access to the River Loveny, where guests can fish.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Fishing Holidays
  • Remote Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Waterside Cottages
A converted 3-storey mill building overlooking lawns and a lake.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Guests at Bay View can while away the days soaking up the sea views from this luxury waterside apartment near Bamburgh Castle. The former Norman grain mill welcomes families and groups with three bedrooms of bright, coastal décor and high-end amenities.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
Exterior of a slate-roofed barn conversion with patio and lawned garden.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Nantusi is a charming 17th Century cottage offering pet-friendly self-catering accommodation for 2-6 guests in East Murthill village, 7 miles from Kirriemuir. Facilities include shared use of an indoor swimming pool, sauna and jacuzzi. It's a fabulous spot for walking, fishing and golf holidays.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Cottages with Hot Tubs
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Holiday Cottages With a Pool
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A row of wooden holiday lodges with a hot tub overlook a lake.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Based near Alberbury in Shropshire, The Old Sheep Shed is a stunningly renovated countryside home with a hot tub, offering luxury family holiday accommodation. The Old Sheep Shed is a 17th-century barn conversion, a lovely rural retreat amidst boundless Shropshire hills.

  • Accessible Cottages
  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages with Hot Tubs
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Farm Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Exterior of a double-fronted stone holiday cottage in Dunster nestling into a steep wooded hillside.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

An award-winning luxury cottage in the heart of the beautiful Exmoor village of Dunster. The cosy yet spacious three-bedroom Exmoor holiday cottage boasts cruck beams, oak screens, a stunning four-poster bed, a wood burning stove, a patio and a deck. Two reserved parking spaces. Dogs welcome. Sleeps 6.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A large Coniston holiday home at the head of a hedge-lined tarmac drive with a mature woodland background.
Sleeps
14
Bedrooms
6

Browside is a pet-friendly Lake District holiday cottage with stunning fell views down to Coniston Water welcomes large families or groups of friends. Sleeping 14, this large, warm, cosy house in a walker's paradise includes a hot tub for relaxing after a day in the fells.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages with Hot Tubs
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A white-rendered 2-tory, semidetached holiday cottage in Cumbbria overlooks a quiet lane.
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

Kings Cottage in the historic market town of Alston, Cumbria, makes the perfect dog-friendly holiday cottage for couples planning a romantic holiday in the Pennines. This recently refurbished character cottage lies in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

  • Agency Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays