![An octagonal, stone-built toll house shaded by trees.](https://www.myfavouriteholidaycottages.co.uk/sites/default/files/styles/hero_banner/public/2024-03/1.the-toll-house.nether-stowey-holiday-cottage.exterior-1.jpeg?h=56bf1666&itok=tOVCivXi)
Book Self-Catering Holidays in Quirky and Unusual Holiday Homes
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.
![A lighthouse complex with a squat tower perches on a clifftop.](/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_thumbnail/public/cottage/2024-02-20/1.rowena-cottage.swanage-holiday-cottages.exterior-1.jpeg?h=82f92a78&itok=ft9W8mEb)
- Sleeps
- 5
- Bedrooms
- 3
Rowena Cottage is uniquely positioned inside a converted lighthouse near Swanage and enjoys superb ocean views from Anvil Point. The pet-friendly cottage features ample grounds to soak up the views of the Dorset coastline and boasts luxury and a rare chance to get away in a spectacular location.
![Exterior of a 3-storey, farmhouse in Derbyshire.](/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_thumbnail/public/cottage/2024-02-26/1.scargill-castle-county-durham-barnard-castle-exterior1.jpg?h=531cc43a&itok=xx_TVe9C)
- Sleeps
- 2
- Bedrooms
- 1
Built in 1560, Scargill Castle epitomises country charm. The pet-friendly romantic cottage in Scargill, Yorkshire, emerges from the ruins of an old castle and features exposed beams, oak floors, a wood-burning stove, period furnishings and modern comforts, and seclusion and countryside views.
![A mock Shropshire castle on a small hillock surrounded by a stone wall and open fields.](/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_thumbnail/public/cottage/2024-04-06/1.sham-castle-shropshire-holiday-home-exterior-1.jpeg?h=520a578a&itok=x4a68xdw)
- Sleeps
- 4
- Bedrooms
- 3
Sham Castle is a beautiful waterside cottage located near the village of Acton Burnell in Shropshire. With three bedrooms, it offers stunning views of the lake and is surrounded by lovely gardens. The cottage sits atop a rocky knoll and boasts original quarry tile floors. The drawing room features oak floors and arched windows, providing a perfect view of the serene surroundings
![A clifftop lighthouse and cottages with spectacular ocean views.](/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_thumbnail/public/cottage/2024-02-27/1.lizard-lighthouse-cottages-sevenstones..jpeg?h=eab7a300&itok=ltAHvWCI)
- Sleeps
- 6
- Bedrooms
- 3
Bishop Rock is a former Cornish lighthouse keeper’s cottage located within the Lizard Lighthouse grounds, boasting panoramic ocean views from its clifftop location. The unique, much modernised, comfortable self-catering cottage near Helston provides direct access to this beautiful stretch of the Cornish coast.
![Entry arch and adjoining granite-built cottage overlook a castle courtyard.](/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_thumbnail/public/cottage/2024-01-09/1.courtyard-cottage%2Cdrumoak-holiday-cottage%2Csberdeenshire-exterior.jpeg?h=707772c7&itok=Dzr4p90T)
- Sleeps
- 2
- Bedrooms
- 1
The National Trust for Scotland offers Courtyard Cottage, a romantic apartment inside Drum Castle in Drumoak. The pet-friendly holiday cottage in Aberdeenshire dates back 700 years and boasts antique furnishings in keeping with its history, as well as an open fire, contemporary comforts and beautiful grounds.
![A lighthouse complex offers clifftop views along the North Cornwall coast.](/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_thumbnail/public/cottage/3799/cornwall-helston-round-island-lighthouse-exterior-1.jpg?h=b6cd98f8&itok=1ulUwf_y)
- Sleeps
- 8
- Bedrooms
- 5
For a genuinely quirky holiday home with stunning ocean views, stay at Lizard Lighthouse on the Southernmost tip of mainland Britain. This large Cornwall holiday cottage near Helston stands in a remote cliff-top location with spectacular coastal walks.
![A grand 3-storey, brick-built Tudor house overlooks a large, formal lawned gardens.](/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_thumbnail/public/cottage/2024-01-24/1.the_tudor_crest_shropshire_bridgnorth_exterior1.jpg?h=5784954b&itok=h4nyYrZn)
- Sleeps
- 6
- Bedrooms
- 12
Surround yourself with royal luxury at Upton Cressett Hall, a grand regal cottage in Shropshire. Marvel at the manicured grounds of the pet-friendly cottage, and indulge in the seclusion and beauty of a residence boasting log fires, exposed beams, antique furnishings and unique décor.
![A water tower converted to a holiday home overlooks woods and fields.](/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_thumbnail/public/cottage/2024-04-18/1.the-tower-burnham-on-crouch-essex-exterior-1.jpeg?h=eab7a300&itok=ktPkK9pz)
- Sleeps
- 6
- Bedrooms
- 3
The Tower is a rural cottage that has won several awards for its unique construction and sweeping countryside views. Located near Latchingdon in Essex, this circular building has beautifully combined its original utilitarian architecture from the 1930s with modern sophistication, including a large balcony and spacious open areas.
![Ground floor, brick exterior of a barn conversion overlooking a shrub-filled garden](/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_thumbnail/public/cottage/2024-03-27/1.oliver%27s-mill-shropshire-holiday-cottages.outside.jpeg?h=c9f93661&itok=_w1M2B2D)
- Sleeps
- 10
- Bedrooms
- 5
Endless activities greet visitors to Oliver’s Mill, a large converted barn amid the rolling hills of Alkington. The 18th-century rural holiday cottage in Shropshire boasts style and traditional character and offers woodland, an indoor swimming pool, a multi-sports court & a children’s play area, plus a log fire.