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Looking for cosy cottage stays in Scotland? This is for you.

There are tons of cosy cottage stays in Scotland on your doorstep.

With hundreds of stunning locations to choose from – lochs, mountains, seaside villages, and more – you can pretty much find the exact cosy vibes you want. On an island, by the water, or in a city.

And the good news is that you don’t have to travel for hours and hours to get away from it all. There are plenty of choices that are pretty central. No need to hop on a ferry, unless you want to, of course! You can escape from the craziness of work, drive for a couple of hours, and arrive somewhere on a Friday night with the whole weekend ahead of you.

And when you get there, it’s bliss. Waking up with a loch on your doorstep, listening to the birds chirping outside the window, or pulling on your hiking boots and tramping along country tracks for a couple of hours always makes you feel instantly more at peace. Just me?

What makes cottage stays in Scotland great?

Personal opinion here but it’s not just about the landscape and the scenery and everything on the outside for me. It’s also about the accommodation. You know what I mean. Sitting on a sofa in the morning with a woodburning stove crackling away in the background. Or being able to relax with a cup of tea in a cosy armchair while watching the darkness creep over the landscape, bit by bit. It all helps with the cosy vibes.

There are a few things I look for in cosy cottage stays in Scotland.

• A great location
• A wood burner
• Cute décor always helps
• A hot tub is a bonus!
• Dog-friendly

Here are some of my favourite cosy cottage stays in Scotland over the past few years…

Wallace Lodge, Perthshire

Best for: Soaking up beautiful waterside views in a sociable space

Imagine drinking your morning coffee alongside stunning lochside views like this?  

Nestled on the banks of a small loch and surrounded by rugged Scottish landscapes, Wallace Lodge in Comrie is the perfect place to get away from it all, unwind, and b-r-e-a-t-h-e. The fact that it’s right on the edge of the water just adds to the overall vibe.

It’s peaceful and quiet and feels properly off the grid. In fact, the only sounds you’re likely to hear are the sounds of the resident ducks quacking away in the background. To be honest, it kind of sounds like they’re laughing away at you. Silly tourists, bahaha. If you love getting away from it all and soaking up some nature along the way, this is the place.

Facilities at a glance:

• Four-bedroom cottage
• Beautiful lochside views
• Dog-friendly
• Hot tub
• Patio and barbeque
• Large sociable kitchen

Wallace Lodge makes a great base for a weekend away with friends and family. With four bedrooms and space for up to eight guests in total, it’s spacious. There are also two areas to spread out in: a games room upstairs and the kitchen diner downstairs.

The kitchen diner was my favourite room. There’s a huge table which has plenty of room for everyone so if you’re planning on big, sociable dinners while you stay it’s ideal. But the real star of the show is this huge window overlooking the loch. We all found that we spent most of our time blobbing out on the couches there and soaking up the beautiful views.

There’s a table and chairs outside as well so if you want to do a picnic or barbeque then it’s the perfect setting. It was a little bit chilly for us although I did try an alfresco cup of tea. The final thing to mention is, of course, the hot tub. It was everything we needed!

Things to do nearby:

• The Deil’s Cauldron
• Earthquake House
• Cultybraggan Camp
• Auchingarrich Wildlife Park
• Ben Chonzie

Wallace Lodge is great if you’re looking for cottage stays in Scotland that are central. It’s not miles away from anywhere, it’s not on an island, and it’s not located in the depths of the Scottish Highlands. The lodge is only a stone’s throw away from Comrie, which is a beautiful village in Perthshire. You can get here from most Scottish cities in an hour or less.

There are also plenty of things to do here. I would recommend the Deil’s Cauldron, a waterfall nearby. It also forms part of a lovely woodland walk which is ideal for the dog – and humans too. We also went to Cultybraggan Camp, which is an old prisoner-of-war camp from WWII. If you’re interested in history you’ll love it. I found it fascinating.

We also had a look at Auchingarrich Wildlife Park, but it was a little pricy. And it was raining. On a warmer day, I think this would be a fun way to spend an hour or so.

• Read my full review of my stay at Wallace Lodge

Kellas Lodge, Scottish Highlands   

Best for: Exploring the Scottish Highlands… or just unwinding!

Looking for a secluded stay in the Scottish Highlands? This is for you.

We stayed at Kellas Lodge in the dead time between Christmas and New Year. Normally I’m at my parents for Christmas and then I just end up floating around for a few days before going back to my own place. For years we have talked about booking a cute cottage in the middle of nowhere and this was the year we finally did it. And it was great.

If you’re after a cosy cottage stays in Scotland where you can just chill out in for a few days, Kellas Cottage in Moray fits the brief perfectly. The cottage is located on the edge of an estate just outside Elgin in the Highlands of Scotland, and it’s as charming as can be. The estate has some real Narnia vibes. Maybe the fact that everything was covered in powdery white snow helped, but there was also a lamppost right outside the cottage. It just needed Mr Tumnus.

Facilities at a glance:

• Two-bedroom cottage
• Quiet and secluded
• Dog-friendly
• Wood-burner
• Hot tub
• Fully enclosed garden

The cottage itself is super pretty. With white stone walls and sash windows, it’s my kind of cottage core. But it also comes with modern facilities, aka a hot tub, which was one of the biggest draws for us. Picturing us relaxing in the bubbling water with the twinkling stars above us, and surrounded by nothing but nature, was too hard to turn down.

Inside, there are two fires: a gas fire in the living room and a wood burner in the dining room. We made use of both of those – I loved laying on the couch reading my book with the fire burning nearby. There are also heated blankets on each of the beds which was a lovely homely touch and, considering it snowed just before arrived, was very much needed.

Kellas Lodge is dog friendly and it also has a fully enclosed garden just outside, which is ideal for letting dogs have a run around in. However, the surrounding landscape is where the magic really is. You can also explore the estate, which is so peaceful and quiet. There are paths around all the fields so it’s easy to get around in theory… although the snow had turned to ice by that point slipped and slided around the place a bit.

Things to do nearby

• Explore the Kellas Estate
• Glen Moray Distillery
• Trout fishery
• Elgin Cathedral
• Duffus Castle ruins
• Culloden Battlefield

This wasn’t the busiest holiday I’ve been on. We booked Kellas Lodge to basically relax and unwind and so we didn’t do much over the three nights we were there.

So, disclaimer, I didn’t do many of the things on the above list and I can’t tell you if they’re any good or not. Oh, apart from Culloden Battlefield which I did on a trip to Inverness. But if you do want to explore Moray there’s plenty on your doorstep.

Elgin is definitely worth checking out. We went in for a mooch around and to meet a friend for lunch and it was nice. From what I could see, there are a lot of independent coffee shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, the place we went for lunch (a chain) wasn’t all that so I won’t mention it here. We did try to go to The Tipsy Teacup in the centre of town but everyone else had the same idea and we couldn’t get a table. Next time, right?

If you have a car and you don’t mind driving a bit further then Inverness isn’t far away. One particular attraction that I think is well worth seeing is Culloden Battlefield.

Otter Cottage, Inverness

Best for: Discovering Scottish history in the country’s most northern city  

Want to explore the most northerly of all the Scottish cities? Come and stay here!  

I’d wanted to visit the Scottish city of Inverness for a long time and Otter Cottage seemed like the perfect place to stay to do it. It’s snug, beautifully decorated, and dog-friendly. That’s a tick, tick, and tick. Coming from the central belt, Inverness is a city that feels proper ‘up north’ for me and so I was excited to see what it was like. It didn’t disappoint.

Inverness itself has a lot to offer. There’s loads to see in the city, including plenty of things that we didn’t get a chance to visit over such as a short visit. Inverness Castle and Inverness Cathedral are earmarked for the next trip, as the famous Leakey’s Bookshop. The latter is a charming, old-world bookshop that looks like it’s out of Beauty and the Beast!

Facilities at a glance:

• One-bedroom cottage
• Dog-friendly
• Wood burner
• Free-standing bath
• Views of the canal

This cottage is the perfect cosy cottage to explore the city of Inverness.

It’s small but perfectly formed. There’s only one bedroom so it’s probably best suited to couples. The fact that there’s a freestanding bath in the bedroom also gives it all the romantic vibes – and the breakfast tray is the perfect finishing touch. Throughout the cottage, the décor is also as cute as a button, or, as I should say, as cute as an otter!

It’s more on the periphery of Inverness rather than dead in the centre. If you’re not fussed about being right in the middle of the buzz this works. For us, it was perfect. It also helped that there was a great pub serving amazing pub food just across the railway line.

Located right next to the canal, you’ll have amazing sunset views right on your doorstep. And if you want to go on an early morning run or take the dog out for a walk along the canal – there’s a circular route you can do – then Otter Cottage is the perfect starting point.

Things to do nearby

• Culloden Battlefield
• Clava Cairns
• Ness Islands
• Perk Coffee & Doughnuts
• The Clachnaharry Inn

Cosy cottage stays in Scotland don’t have to sleepy and relax. This one certainly wasn’t!

That’s because there are tons cool things to do in Inverness and the surrounding areas. If you’re interested in Scottish history then Culloden is definitely worth going to. The battlefield marks the end of the Jacobite uprisings in 1746. There’s a visitor centre or you can simply walk around the battlefield and look at the gravestones, which is a little emotive.

Another thing worth checking out are the curious Clava Cairns. A cairn basically means a man-made pile of rocks. But this site is believed to be a 4000-year-old cemetery and these are burial cairns that allegedly date back to the Bronze Age. Pretty cool to see!

We also did a fair bit of eating in Inverness. Perk Coffee & Doughnuts is known for its amazing doughnuts. They do everything from biscoff flavoured doughnuts to ‘Eton Ness’ – a Scottish twist on the classic Eton Mess. We also went to the Clachnaharry Inn not once but twice during our stay. It was close to where our cottage was located, yes, but the food was really good. Think classic, hearty pub grub, and really generous portions at that.

• Check out my itinerary for a two-day trip to Inverness

Near Byre, Waternish, Isle of Skye

Best for: Amazing views of Skye from a cosy and characterful setting

Cosy cottage stays in Scotland don’t come much more lovely than this characterful place.

This beautifully restored cow byre is a little touch of luxury on the island of Skye. After hours of driving to get here, it’s impossible not to fall in love with this cosy, welcoming space. With a woodburner, cosy throws to curl up in, and floor-to-ceiling windows in the corner so that you squeeze in every single inch of the peninsula views, what’s not to like?

Outside, the landscape is barren and wild, particularly in the winter months. Skye is all untamed beauty and at Near Byre you won’t be far away from all of the must-see attractions on the island. There are also attractions closer to home, including a Michelin-star restaurant, a pub, and some cheeky farm animals who will draw a smile as well.  

Features at a glance

• One-bedroom accommodation
• Characterful restored cow byre
• Stunning views of the peninsula
• Cosy woodburner
• Heated bathroom flooring
• Homemade cake on arrival
• Lovely, welcoming owners

Looking for a stylish place to stay in Skye that is packed with character? This is it.

Near Byre has been converted from an old cow byre, which you can see by the charming old stone wall that remains and divides up the living and sleeping areas. And if you want to dive into the restoration project, there’s a coffee table book to hand.

The open plan layout is perfect for a romantic break, plus it comes with thoughtful touches. A White Company candle ready to be lit. Heated bathroom flooring – not something I get to experience very often. Homemade cake and a treat box on arrival is another. All of these things made me love coming back here after a long day of exploring the island.

One thing to note is that this accommodation isn’t in the middle of nowhere. It’s up a lane off the main road, yes, but it’s directly next to the owner’s home. The benefit of that is 1) the owners are really lovely and 2) they’ll also let you feed their farm animals. There are sheep and two cute pigs called Lucy and Lynas who I loved hanging out with.

• Read my full review of my stay at Near Byre, Waternish

Things to do nearby

• The Fairy Pools
• The Old Man of Storr
• Neish Lighthouse
• Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls
• Visit the capital, Portree
• Quiraing

There are a ton of things to do on the Isle of Skye. The landscape is stunning with an air of magic about it. From mysterious stone fairy bridges arching over rivers, fables and myths about the age-defying properties of the water, and the enchanting Fairy Pools, you’ll be spoiled for choice in things to do. It’s a place to go all in and believe in magic.

The fairy pools, for example, are so-called because of a local legend about a clan chief who married a fairy princess. Another big ticket attraction is the talisman-like Old Man of Storr, a distinctive pinnacle of rock that is, according to local legend, the thumb of a buried giant.

Other must-sees are the Kilt Rock, Neist Lighthouse, and dinosaur beach – where you can see fossilised dinosaur footprints in the rocks at low tide. Pretty cool, right? For restaurants, I’d also recommend the Michelin-star restaurant the Three Chimneys. It’s the first and only time I’ve eaten at a Michelin restaurant and it didn’t disappoint – it was amazing!

• Read my post about 10 things to do on your trip to Skye

The Old Net Store, Pittenween

Best for: Exploring the charming seaside villages of East Neuk, Fife

Looking for cottage stays in Scotland by the sea? Pittenweem has all the coastal charm you need.

The pocket-sized seaside village of Pittenweem is an absolute gem. If you have a penchant for pretty fishing villages then it will hook you in. Located in the East Neuk of Fife, Pittenweem forms part of a handful of towns dotted along the south-eastern coast of the region, including Anstruther, Crail, and St Monans.

Each of the villages has its own distinct character, of course. However, the region as a whole has several characteristics that you’ll see repeated from town to town. Sheltered from the bustle of the rest of the region by the fact that there isn’t a railway, there’s a historical quality to the villages that feels untouched by the frenetic modern world.

But first, let’s look at why you want to stay at the Old Net Store…

Features at a glance:

• Two-bedroom cottage
• Centrally located
• Pet-friendly
• Open-plan kitchen diner
• Off street parking
• Outside courtyard
• Private garden

The Old Net Store is located in the beating heart of Pittenweem. You’re a mere stone’s throw from the charming harbour, with all the colourful boats bobbing around in the water.  There are fresh seafood restaurants nearby, an ice cream shop, and a gorgeous café that does that most amazing hot chocolate. Read more about my pick of Pittenweem activities here.

Inside, the wall of the kitchen is painted in a pale greeny-blue which continues the seaside theme inside. With a courtyard and BBQ, you can make the most of the outside space, although it is a little on the tired side. For us, it was the electric woodburner that got the most action because it was absolutely freezing outside. Definitely pack a warm coat.

Things to do nearby

• Explore the harbour
• Fife Coastal Path
• St Monan’s windmill
• The Salt Pans ruins
• The Cocoa Tree Café
• Fish and chips in Anstruther

Of course, there are many things to do in Pittenweem. But I’d start just by wandering around and soaking up the distinctive vibe of this charming village. Everything seems to be in miniature, like you’ve stepped into Liliput. The houses are characterised by their colour and painted in sugary shades of pink, blue, and minty green. The roofs are covered in distinctive red pan tiles and edged by crow-stepped gables. It’s all seriously charming and cute.

Once you’ve had a wander around the narrow wynds and lanes, I’d recommend some more walking via the Fife Coastal Path. You can easily make it to one of the next towns in a couple of hours. The St Monans windmill and ruins of the historic salt pans are worth seeing. And don’t miss out on the world-famous fish and chips at the Anstruther Fish Bar!  

• Here’s my pick of the best things to see and do in Pittenweem

And that was my pick of cosy cottage stays in Scotland. Have you been to Scotland before?