Click below on your chosen area for a list of cottages that have availability over Easter.

Easter holiday self catering cottages to rent. Enjoy spring by booking a country cottage during Easter Holidays in the British Countryside. Often overlooked as a result of the commercial success of Christmas, Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar, celebrated by the Jewish religion as Passover, and pagan cults as the harbinger of spring. Much less attractive than Father Christmas, the Easter Bunny and his clutch of chocolate eggs is an old fertility rite, and as its position in the astral calendar falls at the same time as these two religious occasions the chance to celebrate the coming of spring is best spent in the countryside, and preferably in an idyllic cottage with daffodils in the garden and young lambs bleating in the surrounding fields.

There are various music festivals at this time of year from Morpeth in Northumberland to St Endellion in Cornwall, Howth, just outside Dublin, to Fareham in Hampshire. These are traditional folk music occasions and combine the music with craft fairs and other events. All these locations offer a variety of homely accommodation, from seaside guesthouses and B&Bs, to charming self-catering country cottages. Then there are egg-rolling competitions. The rules are fairly simple. First boil an egg, then paint it, then roll it around a course using your nose, and finally throw it at the winner. Messy, but fun, and it is an advantage to have a long nose.

As Easter falls during the school holidays this is an excellent time for children of all ages to take part, both artistically and nasally. The art of chicken chasing is not a British sport. Now then, as this is a holiday weekend you can expect all sorts of other events, such as the real ale fair in Margate, and a children’s sports weekend in Carmarthenshire. Easter is also a popular time of year for other sporting events and probably the most watched throughout the world is the Grand National which is held at Aintree on the edge of Liverpool. This is a fantastic event for all the family, and for many people this is the only time they will gamble during the year, usually using a blindfold and a pin. The Lancashire coast has many attractions for all the family and has been a popular holiday destination for many generations and as such there are plenty of comfortable B&Bs, guesthouses and hotels that will welcome you, but be sure to book early. Now then, back to traditional British country sports. How do you fancy a visit to the World Marble Championships at the Greyhound Hotel in Tinsley Green, Sussex. Or maybe the Bottle-Kicking and Hare Pie Scramble in Hallerton in Leicestershire when no bottles are involved but three small barrels of beer. Be warned, this a no-holds-barred event between the two competing teams, somewhat similar to an event in Gubbio, Italy, when the locals settle any old scores from the previous twelve months. As you may be in the north of England why not visit the World Coal Carrying Championships in Ossett, Yorkshire, where the competitors have to carry a 55kg bag (hundredweight in old money) for a mile. The current record is 4mins 6secs. Beat that Roger Bannister!

All these events come with the advantage of being in the countryside and the prospect of leaving your self-catering cottage, B&B, or guesthouse and walking, cycling, or driving to an event that few of your friends will have ever seen and enjoying the beauty of the countryside and and the hospitality that it is famous for.