Large Holiday Homes and Group Accommodation in Scotland

Scotland is where a big group gets the most house for its money. Rural Scotland has a stock of large old houses, farmhouses and estate buildings that would cost a great deal more in the Cotswolds or Cornwall, and the scenery outside the window is better than almost anywhere else in Britain. The catch is distance, so the best Scottish group trips are the ones that plan the journey as carefully as the house.

Our Scottish listings are whole houses let to one group, booked direct with the owner. They run from city houses in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow to a lochside base near Loch Lomond, country houses in Perthshire, a house in the Scottish Borders, properties in Argyll and on the Ayrshire coast, and an island farmhouse on Orkney. Each listing shows exactly how many it sleeps and how the bedrooms are arranged.

For a hen, stag or birthday weekend, base yourselves in or near a city. Edinburgh gives you the castle, the Old Town and the most polished nights out; Glasgow gives you free museums, the best live music in Scotland and cheaper bars. The two are under an hour apart by train, so a group staying near one can easily spend a day in the other. Our Edinburgh and Glasgow weekend guides cover both in detail.

For a family gathering, a big birthday or a walking week, go rural. Loch Lomond is under an hour from Glasgow and is the easiest way to get lochs and hills without a long drive. Perthshire, in the middle of the country, puts the Highlands within reach while keeping the roads simple. The Borders suit groups coming from the north of England, and Argyll and Orkney are for groups who want to feel properly remote and are happy to travel to get there.

Plan the travel before you book. Trains from London reach Edinburgh in around four and a half hours and Glasgow in a little more, and the overnight Caledonian Sleeper runs to both and further north. Most rural houses need cars or a booked minibus once you arrive. Scottish weather changes quickly in every season, so pick a house with enough indoor space for the whole group to spend a wet day together.

Timing matters more in Scotland than anywhere else in the UK. May, June and September are the sweet spot: long days and fewer midges than high summer. August in Edinburgh means the Festival and the Fringe, which is brilliant for a group that wants it and expensive for one that doesn't. Hogmanay is the other big date, and houses go early. Scottish school summer holidays start around the end of June, weeks before England's, which shifts peak demand earlier.