THE Cotswolds is one of the few places in the UK that looks even more beautiful at this time of year than during the summer months.
Gorgeous thatched-roofed cottages offer a snug escape, old pubs light up roaring fireplaces and woodlands are carpeted with fiery leaves.
The Cotswolds is one of the few places in the UK that looks even more beautiful at this time of year than in summerCredit: AFPA four-night midweek break at Kestrel Cottage is from £476.50 in January and early February (excluding half term)Credit: Supplied
I was visiting Bourton-on-the-Water, which offered all of this and more. In fact, the picture-perfect village has been dubbed the “Venice of the Cotswolds” thanks to its gorgeous scenery.
Weaving its way through the heart of the village, the River Windrush has a series of low stone bridges spanning its clear, shallow waters.
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Honey-coloured homes line the grassy banks, creating a stunning backdrop that looks like the set of an English murder-mystery drama.
Its charm is magical and it comes as no surprise to learn that Kourtney Kardashian pipped me to the post, visiting the village and snapping the cottages I was lucky to call home for the weekend in her Instagram story.
Kestrel Cottage is the perfect bolthole for a weekend away. With one beautifully-decorated bedroom and a comfy sofabed, there is more than enough room for a couple, family or group of friends.
It’s one of four cottages set within an old mill and it’s bursting with character. It looked like it was straight out of an interior design magazine with fluffy carpets, a chic olive-coloured kitchen and bare-brick walls.
I loved how well equipped and homely the kitchen was, with enough facilities to whip up dinner for a cosy night in, along with all the decor you’d want to jazz up your own home.
Kourtney Kardashian has visited the Cotswolds villageCredit: GettyThe reality star posted this snap of her in Bourton onlineCredit: kourtneykardash/Instagram
My fairytale visit does come with a cautionary tale, though.
And Bourton-on-the-Water serves up the perfect picture spots, with a steady stream of visitors — although slightly less so now that summer is over (another good reason to visit in autumn).
Plus, staying in the heart of the village comes with the luxury of slipping out before the crowds for a peaceful wander in the sunshine to grab a morning coffee.
Bakery On The Water is the enemy of your waistline, but well worth it. Two cappuccinos and a side of pastry and sausage roll was the fuel we needed to explore.
We bounced from gift shop to restaurant, perusing all the lovely-looking menus, past the sweet store and ice cream parlour (making a note to return in summer), before turning the corner to find the beautiful Victorian Christmas Shop — a treasure trove for the festive-obsessed among us, myself included.
Coffees long gone, we treated ourselves to a pint or two by the fire at The Old New Inn, and wiled away the afternoon playing cards and debating where to eat that evening.
Bourton-on-the-Water leaves you completely spoilt for choice when it comes to food. With Smiths, the award-winning burger joint, two Italians, a Chinese, chippie and pizza spot, it’s almost impossible to agree.
A beautiful old mill towers above the River Eye at Lower SlaughterCredit: Getty
GO: COTSWOLDS
STAYING THERE: Save 20 per cent off all 2027 dates for all Cotswold Cottages, when booked before November 16.
A four-night midweek break at Kestrel Cottage is from £476.50 in January. For this autumn, four nights arriving November 20 is from £532 in total.
Members of Boundless – the club for public sector and civil service workers, employed and retired – can save an extra ten per cent. See boundless.co.uk.
After much debate, we opted for one of the lovely village pubs, The Willow, which has a huge garden overlooking the river.
This hostelry does pub classics properly, including a top-notch fish served with suitably crunchy chips (£19.95) and a traditional steak and mushroom pie loaded with moreish gravy (£19.50). The roast dinners looked good, too. Although those are best saved for Sundays.
Ahead of filling your belly, a Sunday in the Cotswolds is best spent strolling the scenic landscapes — and this time we decided to venture beyond the confines of the village.
A gentle, winding footpath guided us through the countryside towards the twin villages of Lower Slaughter and Upper Slaughter.
The peaceful, 1.5-mile route takes you along the banks of the River Eye, past wildflower meadows and yet more honey-coloured cottages.
The tranquillity of Lower Slaughter (despite its name) is what struck us most, especially when compared to its tourist hotspot neighbour. Crowds were minimal and all that could be heard was the chirp of birds and a gentle stream.
If you’d like to fuel here ahead of your walk back, Slaughters Country Inn is known for its excellent roasts.
Cosying up inside by the fire, we enjoyed another well-earned drink before ducking low ceilings to get to the restaurant, where we were met by giant Yorkshires, roast beef and all the trimmings.
Skip dessert, though, and end your meal at the Hawkstone Brewery instead — another gem we can thank Jeremy Clarkson for.
It’s less Aperol spritz and more traditional English pints — mine with an elderflower twist. The perfect way to toast an autumn escape.
A DREAMY cottage in the highlands is a perfect destination to escape for a retreat.
It can also be a base for an action-packed family adventure break – with dolphin spotting among the highlights. Janice Hopper reveals all…
Janice and her family seen roller-skiingCredit: Supplied by Janice HopperPortsoy Harbour is a historic location famous for being rich in salmonCredit: Getty Images
With our feet strapped into boots atop skis with wheels, coach Logan advises us to glide just like him.
Our wobbly attempts at roller-skiing aren’t great, so we soon move on to cross-country skiing on the dry-slope matting instead, where my husband Eamon and our sons Samuel, 12, and Joseph, 11, and I do actually glide.
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We’ve booked a family session at Huntly Nordic And Outdoor Centre, which ends with us all flinging ourselves, whooping and screaming, down a slope on rubber rings.
It’s a fun way to experience the Scottish hills. Three-hour activity sessions cost £18.15 per adult, £12.15 per child (Livelifeaberdeenshire.org.uk).
After all the exhilaration, it’s time to check into our two-bedroom cottage on the elegant Mayen Estate.
With a classy colour palette, the cosiest stove and a beautiful ”box bed” in the master, plus a fire pit and hot tub in the garden, Butlers Cottage is a gorgeous hideaway.
We task the boys with rolling out dough and sprinkling on the cheese and salami from our pre-ordered pizza kit, from £21, before popping it in the outdoor pizza oven as the sun starts to wane.
The next morning, we wake to the sound of Highland cows nearby, before taking a peaceful riverside stroll along the Deveron and exploring Mayen’s stunning two-acre Walled Gardens, open exclusively to holiday guests for £20 per cottage.
Our two-bed cottage is located on the elegant Mayen Estate, with it’s stunning two-acre Walled GardenCredit: Garden at Mayen Estate – Supplied by PRTry to spot the bay’s resident 200 bottlenose dolphins and the chance to listen to recordings of their callsCredit: Getty Images
It’s August, so everything is in full bloom as we wander through walkways of lavender, white lilies and glorious glasshouses.
Huntly is also home to a cinema, castle, shortbread factory and swimming pool, but we head to scenic Greenmyres Lochan for Canadian canoeing and standup paddleboarding, £28 per person for an hour and a half.
After peeling off our wetsuits, we reward ourselves with a Sunday roast at The Bank Cafe & Restaurant.
Here, choose your carvery meat and three sides, such as sticky red cabbage and macaroni cheese, for just £15, or seven sides for £21 (Thebankrestauranthuntly.com).
Buttery orange biscuits from Dean’s Shortbread, £2.49 (Deans.co.uk) and Irn Bru ice cream, £3 a scoop, from long-standing Rizza’s wrap up our day nicely (Rizzas.co.uk).
While Butlers Cottage is set amid rolling hills, the golden sands of Banff Bay are only half an hour away.
After wandering along the shoreline, we warm up with hot chocolate, £4.50, and a dainty Victoria sponge tower, £3.40, at Annie’s Cakery (Facebook.com/anniescakery7).
Butlers Cottage is a gorgeous hideaway and a perfect hub for a lazy or action-packed retreatCredit: Clare LouA beautiful ‘box bed’ in the cottage’s master bedroomCredit: Supplied by PR
Housed in the town’s former railway station, AKA The Platform, there’s a lovely homeware and fashion shop, too (Theplatform-macduff.co.uk).
Also close by is Portsoy, famous for its salmon. After learning more about the local catch at the free Salmon Bothy museum (Salmonbothy.org), we buy flavoursome smoked fillets, £4 each, from Messrs J Smith at the historic harbour to cook later, before hitting Spey Bay’s free Scottish Dolphin Centre, half an hour away (Dolphincentre.whales.org).
There are binoculars for trying to spot the bay’s resident 200 bottlenose dolphins and the chance to listen to recordings of their calls.
The local dolphins are considered the world’s “chubbiest”, thanks to their extra layers for keeping warm in the chilly waters.
We’re alright though, we have a hot tub to return to. . .
The stove is a feature of the cosy cottage – adding character to the holiday letCredit: Supplied by PR
IF you’ve ever wanted to stay in a holiday home that has a touch of the celebrity about it, look no further.
These country cottages and glamping stays are all owned by TV stars including an Emmerdale actor as well as presenters of Countryfile and Escape to the Country – and you can actually stay in them.
Pretty Stag Cottage is in the Peak District – it’s cosy inside and has a hot tubCredit: Sykes CottagesIt’s owned by Emmerdale star Kelvin FletcherCredit: Dan Charity
Stag Cottage Sykes Holiday Cottage
Stag Cottage is very cosy inside with a wood burner and plush furnitureCredit: Sykes Cottages
Since then, he’s also appeared on Fletchers’ Family Farm following his new venture since leaving the ITV soap.
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Also on the site of the farm is Stag Cottage, on the site of the Fletcher farm near Wincle, and you can book it on Sykes Holiday Cottages.
Inside, the cottage has been renovated into a cosy rental that sleeps up to six, there’s a sitting room with a woodburning log fire with squishy sofa and chairs.
The kitchen has a central island and is fully-equipped with everything visitors need to make home-cooked meals.
The cottage sleeps six people and upstairs are three bedrooms all with king-size beds with plush bedding, and one has an en-suite.
There’s also a snug and conservatory, and outside is a garden with lawn, patio area, decking, furniture and hot tub.
Stag Cottage has 89 reviews all of which are five-star, one called it the “absolute chicest luxury retreat in the Peak District.”
Some even said they had met their hosts: “We loved our stay made all the more special meeting Kelvin and Liz who are both lovely genuine people, they made us feel so welcome and nothing was to much to ask.”
The cottage is largely booked up for the rest of the year, but if you wanted to book a break in January 2028, a seven-night stay starts from £1680 – or £40pppn.
Cotswolds Farm Park
Cotswold Farm Park has luxury lodges – some of which even have hot tubsCredit: Cotswold Farm ParkThe attraction is owned by Countryfile presenter, Adam Henson
Did you know that Countryfile presenter Adam Henson has his very own attraction called Cotswolds Farm Park?
It is a farm and petting zoo with animals like donkeys, cows and sheep for kids to see.
When it comes to playing, there are indoor and outdoor play areaswith soft play, sand pits, Bouncy Pillows, swings, a zipwire, ride-on tractors, quarry play and a sensory garden.
For a peaceful experience, families can head on the wildlife walk or longer Woodland Walk through surrounding farmland.
Some decide to visit for the day – but it can be easily turned into a weekend getaway thanks to its range of stays from luxury lodges, cabins, safari tents, glamping pods.
There are also pitches to pop up your own tent which starts from £29.96pn.
Glamping pods start from £50 per night, it sleeps four people and has a private decking, electric BBQ along with a communal kitchen area and a shower block.
For a more glam stay, opt for a luxury lodge with a hot tub like the Exmoor and Ronaldsay.
These lodges both sleep up to six people, have a private bathroom and shower, fully-kitted out kitchen and with an upgrade come with a wood-fired hot tub.
A two-night stay from October 13 for four people starts from £654.50 – or £81.80pppn.
Mole Hill Hut
Jules Hudson designed his own glamping site in HerefordshireCredit: Jules HudsonYou can book a stay in Jules Hudson’s shepherd’s hut at £150 per nightCredit: BBC
Presenter of the BBC show used his skills to handcraft his very own bespoke shepherd’s hut that you can book.
On Jules’ own land near the Wye Valley, the hut is tucked away in a private meadow – the hut is designed for two people as a secluded, off-grid retreat.
Inside is a cosy double bed, a functional kitchenette, and an adjoining lounge area called “The Trough.”
Guests can spend their evenings around the outdoor wood-burning stove enjoying panoramic views of Herefordshire’s rolling hills.
Also provided are books, magazines, maps and board games and guests will find luxury toiletries.
The hut cost £150 per night (for two) with a three-night minimum stay – anyone who books a seven-night stay can get 15 per cent off.
Sykes Holiday Cottages has crowned some of the UK’s best holiday cottages in its latest awards including best for young families, with the best views and pet-friendly properties
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The UK is filled with beautiful holiday homes whether you’re after a cosy cottage for a romantic break, or a castle-turned-holiday-rental for a weekend away with a huge group of friends and family. The sheer amount of offer can sometimes make it a little trickier to unearth the hidden gems.
Luckily, Sykes Holiday Cottages have helped to narrow it down as they have unveiled the winners of their 2026 Sykes Gem Awards. I was a judge as part of a wider panel, with scores based on a number of factors including guest reviews, the quality of a property, amenities on offer, and even overall popularity.
This year’s winners have included a Grade II-listed lighthouse, a stay in the grounds of the historic Culzean Castle, a cosy glamping hut in the heart of Herefordshire, and a romantic bolthole on the Isle of Lewis.
You can check out the full list of winners here, but below are 12 properties which won gold that we think you’ll definitely want on your radar for your next UK holiday…
It’s not just Sykes Holiday Cottages that’s been serving up a dose of staycation inspiration. Earlier this year, HolidayCottages gave us plenty of UK holiday ideas when it unveiled its 2026 Showcase Awards with categories including winners for Most Iconic Design, Extraordinary Stays and the best in UK and Ireland.
Have you got a holiday story to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com
As close to the sea as you can get without setting sail, this newly renovated cottage is moored up between a little shingle beach and the village of Moelfre, with its lifeboat station, pub, fish and chip shop, cafe and parlour serving locally made ice-cream. A former fisher’s cottage, it’s decorated in nautical blues and whites, their cool tones warmed by antique chests and an inglenook fireplace once used for smoking herring. An unusual circular garden spins out towards the sea; hop over its low stone wall and you’re right on the Anglesey Coastal Path, soaking up cinematic views of Puffin Island, and Eryri beyond. Sleeps eight, two nights from £746, boltholesandhideaways.co.uk
Heronden Lodge
Eastry, Kent
Photograph: Nathan Shepherd
This doll’s house-like, red-brick cottage sits sheltered by trees in a quiet corner of the Kent countryside, 10 minutes’ drive from Sandwich and 20 from Deal. Newly spruced up, it’s restfully low-key, with buttermilk walls and wooden floors. Upstairs are two bedrooms (one a king, the other a twin) and a bathroom with a tub: perfect for dunking mud-splattered children after days at the beach or trailing along footpaths. Downstairs, there’s a simple country kitchen, a double-windowed dining room and a sitting room with an open fireplace. Walks lead straight into the surrounding farmland and to the village pub, 20 minutes’ away. There are also two farm shops within 10 minutes’ drive. Sleeps four, two nights from £472, keeperscottages.co.uk
Ty Bach
Beulah, Powys
Photograph: Kayleigh Doyle
Mid Wales is at its moody best in the autumn, the hillsides glowing auburn beneath squally skies. If your walking boots are calling, this recently launched holiday cottage just north of Llanwrtyd Wells is a good base for exploring the trails of the Cambrian Mountains or the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons). The smaller of two cottages on a site that was once a busy village school, it had been empty for more than three decades when the current owners took it on. It took them eight years to restore it, and now it’s a vision of flagstone-floored, putty-walled, slate-roofed comfort, cosied up with a plush raspberry sofa and copper kitchen appliances. This is a place for being rather than doing. Add-ons range from gourmet grazing boards to massage treatments. Sleeps four, two nights from £260, tosholidayhomes.co.uk
Basecamp North Lakes
Troutbeck, Lake District
Photograph: Ruth Burgess
A few miles west of Penrith, this farm shop, cafe, community garden and wetland restoration site juggles more plates than a Barcelona tapas bar on a Saturday night. It’s also home to a charitable enterprise, Alpacaly Ever After, which rescues llamas and alpacas and offers meets, walks and even camping experiences with them, accessible to all. This summer it added one more item to the menu, launching seven smart new cabins beside the site’s lake. Kitted out with glossy green-tiled shower rooms, galley kitchens, wood-burning stoves and private outdoor baths, they each have one bedroom but can sleep two more on a sofa bed in the lounge. Sleeps four, two nights from £300, basecampnorthlakes.co.uk
Peatlands Retreat
Ballybogey, County Antrim
Photograph: Gareth Andrews
Sitting in the countryside between Ballymoney and Portrush, the two restful shepherds’ huts here come with en suite shower rooms and king-size beds. You’re within easy reach of Old Bushmills Distillery, the Giant’s Causeway, Dunluce Castle and a string of some of the most stunning sandy beaches in the UK, but many guests don’t venture beyond the site’s gardens, meadow and woodland, staying to spot resident hares and light wood-burning stoves. The owners also run an artisan micro-bakery on site; Saturday sourdough workshops can be booked (£90pp), bakery breakfasts can be delivered to your door (£16pp) and twice a week there’s a hyper-local pizza-to-hut delivery service (£15 each). Sleeps two, two nights from £320 (discounts for solo stays), peatlandscausewaycoast.com
Pippin Cottage
Bude, Cornwall
Run by a former Vogue producer, her chef partner and their farming family, Pippin is one of three cottages set on a working orchard outside Bude. Mixing heirloom pieces with Studio Ore taps and Hay lighting, it’s a lesson in understated, soulful style. Works by local artists cheer the walls (many are for sale) and in the kitchen you’ll find apple juice pressed straight from the orchard’s trees. This autumn, the site has opened a new custom-built sauna and cold plunge, and guests can book add-on wellness experiences such as yoga and sauna sessions that end with hot cocoa around a fire pit. Sleeps four, two nights from £256, cannorchard.com
Montagu Cottage
Drumlanrig, Dumfries and Galloway
Photograph: Alix McIntosh Photography
Built in the 19th-century as the laundry for the Queensberry estate, Montagu Cottage has been scrubbed up for modern-day guests. A peppermint cream colour scheme cosies up its lofty living area and three bedrooms, there’s a clawfoot bath for post-hike soaks and a double-aspect wood burner blazes in the cottage’s heart. Drumlanrig Castle is easily reached on foot (guests get free access to the gardens and adventure playground until the end of October); spectacular woodland and valley walks lead out from the door; and you’re close to the village of Thornhill for pubs, bakeries, shops, cafes and, if you time it right, a live gig or film screening at the Old School. Sleeps six, three nights from £750, drumlanrigcastle.co.uk
Molly’s Cabin
Sutton Bonington, Nottinghamshire
Tucked into the field-woven gap between Nottingham and Leicester, beneath the approach to East Midlands airport, Bonington Farm’s four distinctive holiday cottages include a blackened timber cabin with sociable, dorm-style bedrooms, a circular grain store, a pretty brick farmhouse and a corrugated former hay barn. The latter, Molly’s Cabin, is a gallery-walled, salvage-speckled hideaway that’s about to undergo a gentle refurb. Single-night Sunday stays include a private movie night in the farm’s cute grain silo cinema. Or, stay for the whole weekend and go leaf-crunching along the trails of The Outwoods, a 110-acre woodland around 20 minutes’ drive away. Sleeps two, one nightfrom £200, boningtonfarm.com
Fjord
Ullapool, the Highlands
Photograph: Lukas Rambousek
A minimalist counterpoint to the rugged maximalist scenery beyond, Fjord is one half of Corylus Retreats, the twin self-catering apartments opened just outside Ullapool in May. Conceived and run by the team behind nearby Ecotone Cabins, it was designed sustainably with stripped-back timber walls, and floor-to-ceiling windows maximise natural light and have views of neighbouring Loch Broom. On clement days, the pretty harbour and restaurants of Ullapool are easily reached, and there are craggy hikes around Assynt, Coigach and the Summer Isles. If it rains, hunker down inside, enjoying the luxury of underfloor heating or curling up on the covered deck to watch scudding clouds. Sleeps four, three nights from £661, premiercottages.co.uk
Hafod Gwyllt
Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion
Photograph: Lou Archell
Its name translates as “wild summer dwelling” but this renovated cottage deep in the Cambrian mountains is equally good for an autumn escape. On the Hafod Estate, deep in the Ystwyth valley, it has no neighbours besides ponies, and has easy access to hiking and wild swimming. Newly available as a holiday rental, it’s stylishly understated inside, with whitewashed walls, slate and wood floors and a collection of ruffled lampshades, tapestry blankets and old pine dressers in soothingly subdued shades. Outside, there’s a wood-fired hot tub with rugged mountain views and the owners can arrange dark skies photography sessions or visits to local potters. Sleeps four, three nights from £690, sandandstoneescapes.com
Cae’n y Bwlch
Talsarnau, Eryri (Snowdonia)
Photograph: Polly Lovegrove
Getting away from it all is a given at this newly launched cottage in a secluded mountain setting north-east of Harlech. Owned by a ceramicist and an artist, its slate floors and limewashed walls are warmed by glowing fires and a colourful collection of antique dressers, jaunty art, textiles and carved wooden love spoons. While you could drive down the hillside for a windswept walk along the beach at Black Rock Sands, or to explore the legacy of Clough Williams-Ellis at Portmeirion and Plas Brondanw, it would also be tempting to arrive fully supplied and squirrel yourselves away, soaking up the views or hiking straight out into the rugged wilds of Eryri national park. Sleeps six, three nights from £509, underthethatch.co.uk
Riders Lodge
Ballycastle, County Antrim
Stay Lagom is a small estate set around a Georgian rectory on the fringes of Ballycastle. With bike hire on site and a new programme of add-on wellness experiences (think yoga and seaside saunas), it’s popular with visitors coming to hike, surf or cycle the Causeway Coast. Hotel-style bedrooms and boutique dorms can be booked and there are two self-catering cottages, including Riders Lodge, where a sofa-bed stretches capacity to six. Popular with families and small groups of friends, it’s a sociable space with surfboards and bikes suspended on the walls, its own courtyard hot tub and a stash of board games for evenings around the wood burner. Sleeps six, two nights from £524, staylagom.com
Hoolet Bothy
Beauly, the Highlands
If Mrs Tiggy-Winkle retrained as an architect, she might come up with something like Hoolet Bothy. A remote, off-grid farm cottage in the hills above Beauly, 12 miles west of Inverness, it’s the epitome of cosy, with timber-panelled walls, a log-burning stove, a double bed tucked into the eaves and a wood-fired Rayburn for cooking and supplying hot water to a small cast iron bath. Guests have access to a fridge and a charging point down at the farm, three minutes’ walk away, and a cool box is supplied for essentials, but there’s no electricity on site so hunker down for days of walking among deer-speckled hills and red kite-dotted skies, and evenings spent storytelling by candlelight. Sleeps two, three nights from £477, airbnb.co.uk
Labour in Vain Cottage
West Bexington, Dorset
Photograph: National Trust
Set back from the 18-mile swoosh of shingle along Chesil Beach, this semi-detached rental (there’s another next door for holidaying apart together) has been newly renovated by the National Trust. Its name, like the lane beside it, is thought to refer to a year of crop failures in the middle ages – but there won’t be much labouring, in vain or otherwise, while staying here. Hike a stretch of the South West Coast Path, go swimming or fossil-hunting, watch the skies for migratory brent geese and head into nearby Bridport for shops, cafes and pubs. As well as a snug ground-floor lounge, the attic has been converted into a games room with a TV, telescope and space to spread out jigsaws or toys. Sleeps four, two nights from £561, nationaltrust.org.uk
Thornfalcon Winery
Taunton, Somerset
Photograph: Felicity Millward
One of two wooden cabins on a working vineyard (there’s also a more spacious barn conversion suitable for families), the Vine Hut blends rustic timber walls with apple green paintwork and a red gingham sofa to give a cheery, gingerbread cottage feel. It comes with its own outdoor copper bathtub and firepit, plus access to the neighbouring swimming lake and Finnish sauna (pictured). Earlier this year the owners of Thornfalcon renovated a barn on site and have launched a wine school there, plus a series of monthly supper clubs, pairing the vineyard’s wines and juices with seasonal menus; October’s is a culinary caper through the hedgerows, fields and waves via pheasant, hake, mussels, squash, radicchio, puntarelle and quince (from £65pp). Sleeps two, two nights from £340, thornfalcon.com
Prices are for October-November and were correct at time of publication
