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 modern detached house with large windows and space for off-road parking in front.
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
4

Set in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is Gwelfor, a luxurious coastal holiday cottage in Marloes. The large, sophisticated house enjoys access to the highlights of South Wales and Pembrokeshire. It offers a contemporary open-plan design, light-filled spaces, lovely grounds, a sea breeze and a wood burner.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A contemporary 2-storey Ludlow holiday cottage with a courtyard and lawn.
Sleeps
7
Bedrooms
3

Glebe Barn is an impressive 19th-century detached barn conversion in the delightful village of Caynham in Shropshire. The attractive rural cottage blends modernity with exposed oak beams, trusses and doors, rewarding guests with an open fire, a lovely sun-trap garden, tranquillity & pleasant views.

  • Active Holidays
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  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Exterior of s brick-built period garden cottage backed by mature woodland and in front of a lawn with flower-filled borders.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Long Cover is a 16th-century timber-frame rural cottage in Kyre, Worcestershire on beautiful grounds. The pet-friendly cottage sits amid farmland and boasts gorgeous woodland views and tranquillity from its garden, exposed beams, log fire, leaded windows, Aga, and contemporary comfort.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
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  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Exterior of a large whitewashed Welsh farmhouse and garden.
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
4

Situated in an elevated rural location just outside the walled market town of Conwy, Cymryd Uchaf is a large and pet-friendly cottage. Its four lush gardens overlook lovely Conwy Bay and offer views of the nearby Snowdonia National Park. This 4-bedroom coastal cottage sleeps 8.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A stone-built, 2-storey cottage in Cumbria overlooks a large lawn.
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
4

Stone-built Fell Foot is a large rural holiday home in Santon Bridge dating back to 1899. The pet-friendly cottage with a hot tub is set amidst the countryside of Cumbria and the Lake District. It offers spacious grounds, antique furnishings, an open fire and panoramic views of Wast Water Fells.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages with Hot Tubs
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Sleeps
15
Bedrooms
7

It may look Victorian, but Hartcliffe View is a large, sumptuously furnished, modern house in a rural location, standing in moorland on the edge of the Peak District near Penistone in South Yorkshire. This dog-friendly holiday cottage sleeps 15. It has a games room and football pitch in the garden.

  • Active Holidays
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  • Child-Friendly Cottages
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  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Country Cottage with large garden overlooked by a steep, wooded hill
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Uninterrupted ocean views await guests at St Anthony’s Cottage, a luxurious Exmoor coastal cottage just a stroll from the beach in Porlock Weir, Somerset. The pet-friendly cottage boasts contemporary charm and pastel hues, generous grounds, a sun-drenched patio, a wood burner and refreshing sea breezes.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Small Cottages
A thatched cottage with thatched porch and large conservatory overlooks a wide lawn.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Under Acre Cottage is a charming chocolate box cottage nestled among the Cranborne AONB in Winterborne Whitechurch. The Grade II listed 16th-century rural cottage boasts a thatched roof & more original features, plus a lovely garden with countryside views, open fire and access to the Dorset coast.

  • Active Holidays
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  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
L-shaped single-storey exterior of a Warwickshire holiday cottage overlooking a courtyard.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Cider Press is a light, warm and spacious semi-detached rural cottage in Ilmington, Warwickshire. The Cotswold stone barn conversion welcomes pets and is situated on a quiet lane in an AONB. The cottage offers lovely views, modernity, walks from the door, a garden with a small stream, and a log fire.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Fishing Holidays
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays