A loch and mountains in the Scottish Highlands

Escape
Explore
Belong

Extraordinary stays
in Scotland

From lochside cottages and coastal hideaways to cabins in the pines — we're building the directory of independent Scottish holiday homes.

Opening soon. There's nothing to book here yet — tell us what you're after and you'll be first to know.

Good Days
Better Memories

All of Scotland

Island, glen, coast and city — not just the famous six miles of it.

Independent places

Cottages, cabins, crofts and steadings run by the people who own them.

Straight to the owner

The plan is an enquiry that reaches a person, not a lead sold on three times.

Honest from the start

Nothing on this site is a listing yet, and we won't pretend otherwise.

The kinds of place we're gathering

Categories, not listings — drawings rather than photographs, because we're not going to show you a cottage we can't let you book.

  • Lochside cottages Water out of the window, and usually a boat, a jetty or a path to one.
  • Coastal & harbour Fishing village cottages, beach houses and the odd old net loft.
  • Cabins & lodges Timber, glass, a wood burner and trees — often with a hot tub on the deck.
  • Island croft houses Traditional houses on working croft land, mostly in the west and the isles.
  • Castles & towers Wings, apartments and whole tower houses, for people who want the stairs.
  • Steadings & barns Farm buildings converted well, usually sleeping a crowd.
  • Bothies & off-grid Small, simple, sometimes solar — the opposite of a resort.
  • Town & village bases Walk to the pub, the shop and the bus. No car needed for everything.

Own one of these? Put it forward — it takes a minute.

More than just
a place to stay

Fresh air, open space, a fire at the end of a wet day and nobody's work email. Scotland does the rest.

Start with a place

Scotland
Feels Different
Here

Wild places
Wild places
Real escapes
Real escapes
Lasting memories
Lasting memories

Worth knowing before you go

The things that actually shape a Scottish holiday — none of which any booking site tells you.

All the planning notes
  • Midges, and how much to worry

    Highland midges are out from roughly late May to September, worst on still, damp, overcast evenings on the west coast and in the hills. Wind, rain and the east coast all help. A breeze is better protection than anything you can buy.

  • The light is the real season

    In June the far north barely gets dark and you can walk until eleven at night. In December it is light from about nine to half past three. That changes what a week away actually feels like more than the temperature does.

  • Ferries decide island holidays

    If an island is in the plan, the crossing is the plan. Book vehicle space early, keep the first and last day loose, and have a wet-weather day that does not need a boat.

Be in it from the start

Two lists: people who want a cottage, and people who have one. Both are short, and both go to a person who reads them.

Tell us where you'd go

We'll email you once when there's something worth seeing — the first cottages, in the places people asked for. No newsletter, no drip campaign, and you can say stop any time.

Where do you want to go? Pick any
What matters to you? Pick any

Your email is used to tell you about this site and nothing else. See the privacy notice.

Put your cottage forward

We're gathering the first properties now. Registering interest doesn't commit you to anything and doesn't cost anything — we'll come back to you with exactly what listing would involve, and you decide then.

We'll reply from hello@scottishholidaycottages.co.uk. Your details aren't sold or passed on.