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.

Exterior of a twin-gabled house with a full-length balcony overlooking a large garden.
Sleeps
12
Bedrooms
6

Underwood House is a delightful south-facing manor with impressive views of the surrounding countryside in East Knoyle, Wiltshire. The generous balcony and grounds ensure relaxation and the spacious interior offers a farmhouse kitchen, a cosy log fire, bespoke furnishings, oak beams and charm.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Large LEyburn holiday cottage built with local stone and surrounded by a low stone wall.
Sleeps
7
Bedrooms
4

Eastburn Cottage is a magnificent 17th-century farmhouse with an open fire, original beams and sleeps 7. This attractive Yorkshire Dales holiday cottage sits in the heart of the traditional village of Newbiggin, a stroll from a charming pub and 3 miles from the North Yorkshire market town of Leyburn.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A single storey stone cottage overlooks a flower-filled garden
Sleeps
3
Bedrooms
2

Quiet Corner Cottage is a charming single-storey East Somerset holiday home with rural views situated in the peaceful village of Henstridge. It sleeps three people in two bedrooms.

  • Active Holidays
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  • Cycling Holidays
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  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
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A courtyard barn conversion with a frontage comprising wall-to-ceiling French windows.
Sleeps
6
Bedrooms
3

Wheelhouse Cottage is a barn conversion with exposed beams, a log fire, and a pretty courtyard, and it sleeps 6. Perfectly positioned for exploring the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and coast, this countryside holiday cottage in North Yorkshire is near the village of Sowerby, in the Vale of Mowbray.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
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  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
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.

  • Accessible Cottages
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  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Eco Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Exterior of a stone built holiday cottage in Whitby with a flagstoned front garden containing outdoor dining facilities.
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
4

Steak & Egton is a sophisticated terrace in the delightful Egton village in North Yorkshire. The pet-friendly cottage offers stone walls, a pretty flowering courtyard, an elegant and spacious interior with clawfoot baths, contemporary styling, a secret snug, tiled floors, and a log fire.

  • Active Holidays
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  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A single-storey bungalow with an off-road parking space for two cars.
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Take in all the attractions of the Welsh Borders with a stay at Virginia Cottage, a superb barn conversion on a working farm on the edge of the historic village of Burnell near Much Wenlock. The pet-friendly Shropshire farm cottage has two private patios and a modern fitted kitchen.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Sleeps
4
Bedrooms
2

Set in the heart of Beverley is 21 Wellington Road, a sophisticated cottage offering a memorable holiday in the Vale of York & Yorkshire Wolds. The pet-friendly cottage sleeps 4 & boasts a neutral palette with contemporary chic, an open-plan design and a log fire, plus a furnished, securely fenced courtyard.

  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
Double-fronted exterior of a limestone block-built cottage with sash windows.
Sleeps
8
Bedrooms
4

Explore Rockwell House, a large holiday home in the Pennines and an enticing Wearhead holiday let. It has modern comforts and period charm and boasts spacious bedrooms with en-suites, a cosy living area with wood-burning stoves, and a fully equipped kitchen. Nearby attractions like Killhope Lead Mining Museum and Hamsterley Forest offer outdoor adventures. With room for nine guests, it’s perfect for family getaways. Discover more about this inviting retreat.

  • Active Holidays
  • Agency Cottages
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays