10 holiday cottages: top self-catering stays

Hidden treasure

Thinking of taking a self-catering holiday? We\'ve selected some very different properties for very different guests. By David Wickers

Despite Britain\'s limited, densely packed acreage, there are some remarkable great escapes, worlds where rush-hour traffic peaks at a midday sighting of maybe three backpackers and the silence is disturbed only by wind, birdsong, sheep baas and sometimes the heaving of the ocean. The lonely Old Rectory, situated - as the photograph reveals - in isolation above the wide, sandy beach at Rhossili Bay on the Gower Peninsula in Wales, with Worms Head Island on the horizon, is a classic. It sleeps seven, has a wood-burning stove, costs between £851 and £2,394 and, say the booking instructions, arrival by daylight is recommended. National Trust (0844 800 2070; www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk)

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Your own island

Consider one of the estate cottages on the privately owned, two-mile long and utterly peaceful island of Eilean Shona at the entrance to Loch Moidart on the west coast of Scotland. The island is a natural haven for wildlife, plants and many rare trees brought from distant parts of the world some 100 years ago. There are six simple (but modernised) original estate cottages hiding in secluded spots, which cost from £350 (sleeping two) to £995 (sleeping eight). There are no roads on Eilean Shona, so cottage tenants leave their vehicles on the mainland and are taken there by boat (10 min). Ecosse Unique (01835 822277; www.uniquescotland.com)

Classic countryside

With its voluptuous contours and scatter of pale stone villages, the Cotswolds are rural England straight off a calendar or biscuit tin. Hidden in a wooded valley under the shadow of the hills is Owlpen Manor near Uley. The 215-acre estate includes nine cottages clustered around a Tudor manor house, each very different, all having an open fire or wood burner. Owlpen also has a restaurant (or takeaway home-baked meals). The cottages sleep from two to nine people and cost from £310 to £1,675. The Big Domain (01453 860261; www.thebigdomain.com)

Walkers\' world

East Lodge is a 16th-century cottage built into the walls of Hardwick Old Hall in Derbyshire, once the home of Bess of Harwick, a remarkable Elizabethan woman. Imposing from without, the Lodge is modern and comfortable within, with two bedrooms, a wood stove in the living room and breathtaking views across the surrounding countryside. But aside from its historical pedigree (after visiting hours, guests at the cottage have exclusive access to the grounds of the hall), East Lodge is the perfect base for exploring the Peak District, Britain\'s first National Park, just a short drive away, as well as the glorious Chatsworth. Prices range from £560 to £1,486 for a week. English Heritage (0870 333 1187; www.english-heritage.org.uk/holidaycottages)

Beach bonanza

The South Hams, Devon\'s most southerly bunion of land, is not only well stocked with beaches, but also they come in an amazing diversity of styles. Take your pick from pretty coves such as the unlikely named Blackpool Sands, which sits in between a claw of wooded headlands, the endless sandbar of a beach at Slapton backed by a freshwater lagoon teeming with birds, the surfers\' favourite at Bantham, tiny South Sands, which you can reach by a Pugwash ferry from Salcombe followed by a shuttle from sea to shore aboard a whacky high-stepping tractor, and the rock pool potterers\' paradise at Wembury. Our family party of 10, with assorted ages and interests, soon sunk into the comfortable luxury of our wonderful house set in a perfect position overlooking Prawle Point lighthouse and the sea. Thoughtfully supplied were several pairs of binoculars, big fluffy towels, a table tennis table for bored teenagers and a swimming pool. Waiting for us were delicious freshly prepared dishes from The Green Table, TV cook Lesley Waters\' Dorset-based kitchens. Ash Park, near East Prawle, sleeps up to 12 and costs between £850 and £3,500. Helpful Holidays (01647 434063; www.helpfulholidays.com) has over 600 places to stay throughout the West Country.

Cultural distractions

Every county has its own cultural attractions and Suffolk is no exception. Our family favourites, following a week\'s stay at the 16th-century Home Farm, included the acclaimed Snape Maltings Concert Hall, set on the reedy banks of the River Alde, which has shops, a gallery, riverside walks and gentle boat tours of the river. Snape was easily combined with a brisk walk along the beach in the postcard pretty seaside of Aldeburgh.

If castles and historic houses are your thing, be sure to visit eccentric Ickworth House and the 12th-century Framlingham Castle. An even more ancient site is Sutton Hoo, the burial ground of the Anglo-Saxon kings of East Anglia. All of which might seem like a cultural overload, but the visits were fun for grown-ups and kids, and we could return to the farm to enjoy the views over the surrounding fields or, if we had the energy, take to the footpath to visit nearby Hemingstone and Coddenham. The house sleeps up to eight, and prices start from £995 to £1,595. CV Travel (020 7401 1086; www.cvtravel.co.uk)

Grand sea views

For the ultimate in coastal locations, you can\'t beat an all-seeing, all-warning lighthouse. Twelve Trinity House sites in England, Wales and the Channel Islands offer accommodation. This is not in the lighthouses themselves, but in listed keepers\' cottages whose interiors have been treated to a marine-chic makeover. Whitby Lighthouse, for example, stands on a dramatic cliff and has two cottages, each of which sleeps five people, and costs between £732 and £1,176 (others range between £494 and £1,611). The light, which is automatic, shouldn\'t bother you, but you might want to take earplugs just in case the sea mist rolls in and the foghorn starts to blare in the middle of the night. Rural Retreats (01386 701177; www.ruralretreats.co.uk)

Water babies

Not only does The Boat House in the peaceful Cornish village of Cargreen face the water, but the River Tamar flows on three sides of the property. Stylishly furnished, the house sleeps eight and has a private slipway, a boat hoist for dinghies, and steps down to the water for small boats and kayaks. Prices range between £635 and £1,665. Toad Hall Cottages (01548 853089; www.toadhallcottages.com)

History buffs

Guests at Beacon Hill Farm in Northumberland might have a problem dragging themselves away from the pool, spa, games room, all-weather tennis court, cricket net, trampoline, fly-fishing and horse riding, but there are rich seams of history waiting to be tapped in the surrounding area. Castles include the immense Bamburgh, Alnwick, known as the ‘Windsor of the North\' (or Hogwarts to all Harry Potter fans) and the spooky ruins of Dunstanburgh. Prices range from £305 to £1,675. Beacon Hill Farm (01670 780900; www.beaconhill.co.uk)

City fix

For a mix of culture, shopping, restaurants and the like there\'s no beating a city. Self-catering apartments are often more affordable than a hotel, plus having your own front door means you get a feel of what it\'s like to live there. In the heart of Glasgow, for example, SACO has one-bedroom apartments overlooking George Square with fully equipped kitchens for between £79 and £118 a night (weekly between £553 and £665). The company also has properties in Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Edinburgh and Manchester. SACO (0845 122 0405; www.sacoapartments.co.uk).