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.

Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
3

Discover the secluded luxury of Chapel House One, an Essex holiday cottage on Osea Island, surrounded by the Blackwater Estuary. Revel in the exclusive tidal island, a 90-minute escape from London, with private beaches, an outdoor pool, tennis court, cinema room, games room, and more. This dog-friendly waterside cottage offers flexible accommodation, ideal for family get-togethers—Book Chapel House One for a unique, beautiful getaway with stylish living areas and mezzanine space. Explore the island, visit The Puffin Pub, and enjoy EV charging facilities.

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A sprawling country house with a tower overlooks a garden full of flowering crocuses.
Sleeps
10
Bedrooms
5

The Abercorn Wing of Belle Isle Castle affords a luxurious holiday experience in the Northern Ireland hinterlands, a rural pet-friendly property on a 470-acre estate spread near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, with magnificent original features and many modern touches.

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Sleeps
10
Bedrooms
4

Timbers is an elegant coastal cottage in an enviable waterside location above the tidal creek. This large holiday cottage in Newton Ferrers boasts ample grounds, beautiful gardens, light-filled rooms & its own private tidal slipway. Enjoy peace and seclusion in style just moments from the South Devon coast.

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An Exmoor Longhouse overlooks a quiet, steep-banked country lane
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
4

Situated deep in the heart of the Exmoor National Park on the outskirts of the riverside village of Exford, Somerset, you’ll find Greenslades, a large, child-friendly holiday cottage offering gorgeous countryside views, four bedrooms (two en-suite), beamed ceilings, and two wood-burner stoves.

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A modern New Forest holiday home overlooks a large shingle drive and a garage.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Discover Homelands, an exquisite Hampshire holiday let in Brockenhurst, adorned with the prestigious Visit England Gold Award and a 2018 ROSE Award. This luxurious semi-detached cottage, tastefully furnished with a forest theme, offers impeccable comfort and style. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a modern kitchen cater to every need. Enjoy a wood-burning stove, a south-facing garden, and private parking for two cars. Perfectly located for self-catering holidays in the New Forest, with Brockenhurst rail station minutes away for holidays by rail. Immerse yourself in this award-winning property—your gateway to a delightful Hampshire escape.

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A Lighthouse complex on a clifftop with panoramic ocean views.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Panoramic ocean views stretch before Verity Cottage, a sophisticated coastal cottage within Trevose Head Lighthouse. The coast of Cornwall lies on either side of the cottage, which boasts outdoor entertaining spaces, contemporary comfort, light and airy design, the chance to get away from it all with more clean, fresh, revitalising air than you could shake a windsock at.

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Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

Truly embodying the rural surroundings, Garden Cottage is a semi-detached barn conversion near Buxton, just on the edge of the hamlet of Sparrowpit within the Peak District. Set on a working dairy farm, the one-bedroom countryside cottage offers a secluded, romantic getaway for couples amidst verdant fields.

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Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

The Miller’s Tale is a quaint remote studio cottage for two in Suffolk near the village of Hasketon. It is set on the grounds of a country house beside a garden pond, the perfect rural escape for individuals and couples, featuring brick flooring, a rainfall shower, a wood-burning stove, and a comfy king-size bed.

 

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Surrounded byb open fields, a barn conversion nestles under a large tree
Sleeps
26
Bedrooms
17

An award-winning collection of seven luxury holiday cottages is set on our farm, just two miles from Beverley in East Yorkshire. There are two, three, four, and six-bedroom cottages with free Wi-Fi. You can arrive any day, and there are ground-floor bedrooms with wet rooms. Pets are welcome, and you can see virtual tours. The cottages have been awarded 5-star gold.

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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.