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.

A stem engines rushes through Somerset countryside past two old carriages converted to holiday homes
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Experience a unique holiday in the Somerset countryside by staying in your very own railway carriage beside the vintage West Somerset Railway tracks near Williton. The Railway Carriage is an authentic replica fitted out to provide you with style and luxury. This pet-friendly holiday cottage has a 4-star rating and features an eco-friendly design, a log burner, and modern amenities.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages with Car Chargers
  • Cottages with Hot Tubs
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Eco Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
A Cornish lighthouse complex with holiday cottages in a clifftop location.
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 modernized comfortable property near Helston provides direct access to this wonderful stretch of the Cornish coast.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Waterside Cottages
Exterior of a heritage railway station building in North Yorkshire.
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

The Ticket Office is a unique, quirky romantic cottage in the heart of Ruswarp in the North York Moors. The Grade II listed former ticket office features a cast iron fireplace and mullion windows encased in stone walls. The pet-friendly property is ideal for couples seeking something different.

  • Agency Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

Enjoy a romantic Cotswolds holiday with a stay at Second Nature on the outskirts of the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, the perfect getaway for couples wanting to explore this picturesque region. Second Nature is an eco-friendly rural retreat for two boasting a distinctive four-poster bed and walk-in rain shower.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Eco Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

Anne’s Hut blends into the surrounding woodland. The unique former shepherd’s hut has been fashioned into a romantic holiday cottage in Penterry, Monmouthshire, which boasts extensive gardens with wonderful countryside views, luxurious décor, a wood burner, an outdoor firepit and contemporary comforts.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
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.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
Sleeps
24
Bedrooms
12

Isobel’s Expeditions is an opulent fairy tale castle near Edinburgh in Scotland. The magnificent grand cottage offers groups gorgeous, expansive grounds, a banquet room, a bar, incredible artwork, luxurious detailing, a private tennis court, many entertaining spaces & photogenic scenes

  • Accessible By Train
  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Aerial view of a tall, brick-built, twin-towered, Victorian folly in a rural location.
Sleeps
2
Bedrooms
1

The Ultimate Romantic Bolthole for Couples in the Shropshire Countryside.

The Summer House is a Grade II listed octagonal tower and summer house built around 1607 near the Shropshire village of Eyton-on-Severn. The memorable, romantic rural retreat will entice couples with its spiral staircase, original features, elegance, magnificent rural views, and a wood-burning stove in the bedroom

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Fishing Holidays
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
The tower of a windmill (no sails) surrounded by a shrub-filled garden.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Once a working flour mill for over 100 years, Aylsham Windmill now offers luxurious, family-friendly self-catering holidays (with Wi-Fi) for 2-6 guests in Aylsham, a picturesque rural market town in North Norfolk midway between Norwich and the coast at Cromer.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Independent Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays