Water cascades down wide steps at Aysgarth Falls in North Yorkshire Aysgarth Falls in North Yorkshire

Find My Favourite Holiday Cottages in North Yorkshire

What county needs more to attract visitors to its self-catering holiday accommodation than the 1600 square miles of the Yorkshire Dales or the North Yorkshire Moors National Parks? Both offer a healthy choice of pretty North Yorkshire holiday cottages. You will find endless opportunities for the best exercise (cycling, walking and horse-riding) up and down valleys, crags, peaks and moorlands. If you want to leave the car alone, travel across North Yorkshire by Dalesbus. Indulge in a luxurious tea in Betty’s Tea Rooms in Harrogate and then work off the calories by renting a rowing boat on the River Nidd.

Spend a day exploring historic Richmond Castle in Swaledale or walk under the 29m high Hardraw Force in Wensleydale, England’s largest single-drop waterfall, without getting wet, or enjoy the views from the top of Roseberry Topping. North Yorkshire also offers plenty of self-catering accommodation in the many seaside towns and villages along its picturesque and rugged coastline. From the Victorian spa resorts of Scarborough, Filey and Bridlington to Whitby’s gothic fishing port and scenic villages such as Staithes, Robin Hood’s Bay and Flamborough.

Front exterior of a double-fronted terrace cottage with large sash windows and a front garden
Sleeps
5
Bedrooms
2

Primrose Hill Farmhouse offers two bedrooms of cosy, welcoming charm in a family-friendly cottage overlooking Hutton-le-Hole in the North York Moors. The mid-terrace cottage is ideally placed for active holidaymakers and those who appreciate the charm of traditional rural living.

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A lounge with armchairs, oak-beamed ceiling and a staircase.
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
2

Mill Cottage is a multi-award-winning property set on Keld Head Cottages near Pickering in North Yorkshire. The stone-built rural cottage has been carefully refurbished with traditional features and modern comforts and boasts gorgeous gardens, large indoor and outdoor play areas and lovely views.

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A stone built holiday cottage in Hovingham overlooks a steam running past its frontage on a summer's day.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Harwood Cottage is a truly elegant stone cottage set beside a small stream in Hovingham, Yorkshire, sleeping 6. A lawned garden hosts the conservatory, while the interior features a log fire in the sitting room and many original details lovingly restored, combined with contemporary comforts.

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Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

The Coach House offers sophisticated coast and country accommodation for four in the North Yorkshire village of Levisham. It boasts subtle elegance with a stone exterior, a contemporary interior, and a delightful garden and open-plan design, all in the heart of the North York Moors and Coast.

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A U-shaped, stone barn conversion with floor-to-ceeiing windows looks out over a large shingled courtyard.
Sleeps
7
Bedrooms
3

A family- and pet-friendly country getaway near Ravensworth in the Yorkshire Dales, this 3-bedroom pet-friendly barn conversion on a working farm sleeps 7, Convenient to local market villages, Larklands balances rustic and new in one stylish rural retreat in North Yorkshire.

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Exterior of a 3-storey Victorian seaside town house with bay windows. n
Sleeps
12
Bedrooms
5

This large, family-friendly seaside holiday home in Scarborough sleeps 12 in 5 bedrooms. Mayville House offers spacious, pet-friendly self-catering holidays on the North Yorkshire Coast for large families or groups of friends just a mile from the beach.

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Exterior  of a brick-built, village holiday cottage and front garden at dusk.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Pear Tree House is a stylish, well-equipped, dog-friendly 3-bedroom village holiday home close to York.

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A stoine-built cottage overlooks a large lawn.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
2

From the delightful hamlet of Cleatlam in North Yorkshire, a stay at The Wood offers families and groups up to six comfortable accommodation from which to explore the region from a countryside cottage that features an attractive brick fireplace, exposed beams, and slate flooring.

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Exterior of an Ingleton holiday cottage overlooking a garden in a rural location.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Some of the best views in England can be savoured from Netherscar in Chapel-le-Dale near Ingleton. The detached, remote holiday cottage lies among the rolling hills in a haven of peace and tranquillity and offers three bedrooms, an open fire, and ample space for pets and children to roam.

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From the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors to the seaside resorts scattered along its North Sea Coast, North Yorkshire can offer visitors a memorable holiday when staying in one of its many fine holiday cottages in North Yorkshire. The Dales' past industrial history is revealed in the 18th the many restored 19th-century textile mills and watermills. Find them among the little Dales towns, Grassington, Kettlewell and Reeth, tasting famous local cheeses and ales along the way. Artists and potters are still creating their own local styles, and the many Farmers' Markets provide you with fresh local produce. In the summer, too, make sure you are there when the country folk congregate together to compete in displays in their local agricultural shows right across the area.

Only such a place as the City of York, with its overwhelmingly impressive 800-year-old cathedral, and its cobbled medieval streets with many pavement cafes, could draw you away from the natural beauty of the Dales. With a wealth of trendy independent shops, galleries and a regular programme of festivals and events, it would be easy to holiday for an entire week in this historic city.

That being said, North Yorkshire also offers visitors more than 100 miles of shoreline, where you will find fossils on the Dunsdown Coast, seaside fun and surfing at Scarborough, fish in the sea for your supper at Filey, or partake of the best fish and chips ever at Whitby. The latter is where you will also capture the ambience of the 18th and 19th centuries of Captain Cook, Count Dracula and Queen Victoria's favourite jet jewellery. Take the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to Goatherd Station, a film location in the Harry Potter films in the heart of the beautiful Yorkshire Moors. If the usual outdoor activities of walking and cycling lose their appeal, try your hand at Husky Trekking at the Pesky Husky Trekking Centre in Staintondale. Alternatively, pay a visit to Hairy Bob's Cave beneath Scarborough Castle, allegedly the most popular man-made cave in the UK.

After Scarborough Castle, add Pickering Castle to your North Yorkshire bucket list. Located on the edge of the North York Moors, it's also the location for the North Yorkshire Moors Steam Railway that runs from Pickering to Whitby through the heart of TV's Heartbeat Country.

The picturesque riverside town of Knaresborough offers much for the visitor, including Mother Shipton's Cave, a tourist attraction since 1630, the former home of an old prophetess and soothsayer. Then head back into the town and sample the fare in one of its many fine tea rooms. For those with a seriously sweet tooth, follow in the footsteps of many a visiting celebrity and pay a visit to Nidderdale will take you to The Oldest Sweet Shop in England!

What more do you need to keep the whole family happy for days on end in this beautiful county? Whether booking a North Yorkshire holiday home for a week or a weekend break, you'll find it easy to fill your day's sightseeing, bathing, exploring the great outdoors, enjoying historic towns and cities, or spending days on the beach.