Highlands, islands, and estates built for serious landscapes.
From Highland lodges to island retreats, having facilitated numerous Scottish holiday house group bookings over 16 years, we know you come here to get away from it all. Valleys that swallow noise, lochs visible from your bedroom window, and the kind of space where you can really disconnect.
Dumfries and Galloway
A splendid Georgian country house set on the picturesque Queensberry Estate in Dumfriesshire, Dabton House is the perfect venue for celebrations, holidaying with family and friends, sporting or other special interest groups, and corporate retreats.
Weekends From £6,000
Weeks From £9,000
East Lothian
Gilmerton House is a warm and welcoming 12 bedroom country house in East Lothian, perfect for family gatherings, golf trips and special occasions.
Weekends From £14,000
Weeks From £35,000
Aberdeenshire
An enchanting, thousand year old Castle, wrapped in history, legacy and celebrity.
Weekends From £6,500
Weeks From £9,500
Dumfriesshire
A beautiful Palladian Mansion, deep in the Scottish Borderlands.
Weekends From £11,000
Weeks From £30,000
Argyll
Balinakill is a welcoming Victorian country house, on West Scotland's Kintyre Peninsula
Weekends From £3,450
Weeks From £5,460
East Lothian
A quietly luxurious house, set in a walled garden, on Scotland's beautiful East Coast
Weekends From £3,500
Weeks From £6,800
Ross-shire
Assynt House is perfect for parties of families and friends - catch up and slow down in the perfect Scottish holiday house with lots of little extras.
Weekends From £5,600
Weeks From £6,800
Argyll
The Ormidale Estate set in the hills of Argyll, a few hundred yards from the shores of the Kyles of Bute. Beautiful, luxurious and unforgettable...
Weekends From £3,595
Weeks From £4,795
When it comes to size, Scotland is in a league of its own. Mountains that defy horizons. Lochs that stretch for miles. Estates with land bigger than a small town. Houses where the neighbours are a speck on the horizon. Space that makes you gasp, makes your shoulders drop, makes you recalibrate.
Our Scottish houses sleep 16 to 40 or more guests across the Highlands, islands, Perthshire, and the Borders. You’ll find shooting lodges with mountain views, lochside properties with deer in the gardens, converted farmhouses in majestic valleys, baronial mansions with turrets and tonnes of history, and modern builds with glass walls to frame the wild surroundings.
These houses aren’t only Scottish in scale; they’re built for Scottish weather. Thick walls, serious heating systems, a collection of fishing rods, wellies, and waterproofs, and rooms for drying wet gear. They’re the perfect bases for braving challenging conditions, before retreating for a cosy evening around the fire.
You’ll deal directly with owners who care deeply about your experience and their properties.
Speak directly, pay directly, save money — no commission or agency markups.
Most listings include guest reviews so you can see what past visitors loved about each property.
In Scotland, space means space. Not a large garden, but a valley that stretches beyond what our eyes can see. Not a private location, but an estate where the nearest house sits three miles away across a loch. Castles with turrets that make for epic photos. Drawing rooms where twenty people can gather without anyone perched on the arm of a chair. This is furniture that was designed for 1880s house parties. And those Victorians knew how to have a good time.
For peak Scotland, the Highlands deliver what postcards promise: mountains that command every window of your Highland lodge rental, deer appearing on lawns at dusk, and lochs cold enough that wild swimming, even in July, requires bravery, whisky, or both. As one group told us: “The house is even more amazing in person than the pictures could do justice. We enjoyed the beautiful house and grounds, a close drive to numerous local attractions (including Loch Ness). A highlight for us was the bagpiper playing on the night of our arrival (which they kindly coordinated for us!)”
But Scotland’s not all high drama. The Lowlands and Borders offer gentler estates an hour from Edinburgh. Close enough for airport pickups without fighting Highland roads, far enough that you’re still rural. From here, you’re perfectly positioned for distillery tours that end with a merry minibus ride home. Or to explore woodland where the kids can let off some steam while the adults soak up the nature and tranquillity.
When you’re getting 20 to 40 people together, practicalities matter. Most Scottish properties come with an Aga or range cooker, boot rooms big enough for countless pairs of wellies plus waterproofs, and industrial kitchens ready to knock up a banging shepherd’s pie when the weather ruins your BBQ plans.
Great website; easy to navigate and good filter system. Prices look really competitive
Richard Chalmers
Really pleased with my experience with landed houses, was searching for a large house to celebrate my 50th and landed houses had lots of good options...managed to secure somewhere for a good price and looking forward to our dates, many thanks to Edmund and the house owner for their friendly correspondence and help, Steve
Stephen Alexander
Some great houses on offer here /all new to me! Now we are planning our next big family getogether!
Tina Metcalfe
Barbara Ryan
When I was faced with having to find a large house with a pool for a family celebration at relatively short notice, Edmund at Landed Houses came straight to my aid. He responded promptly to my email enquiries, even on a Sunday, putting me in direct contact with someone who managed a property that fitted my needs; the outcome being that a superb house, with everything I need, was secured within 24 hours of my first enquiry. Many thanks, Edmund, for making the task so straightforward. If you’re looking for that special house for a party or family gathering I can recommend Landed Houses as your first port of call.
Mrs Manors
We’ve all heard the stories about Scotland’s midges but are they actually true? Well, there are midges in Scotland but not all year round. Peak midge season is mid-June through August. Midges are at their worst in still, damp conditions, or if you’re near water. Windy days and coastal properties get fewer of the little pests.
The good news is rather than being any danger, they’re just rather annoying. If you do plan to travel in peak midge season, here are some solutions that actually work: Avon Skin So Soft (originally marketed to bodybuilders, now Scotland’s unofficial midge defence), Smidge spray which you can buy in Scottish pharmacies, and midge nets if you’re extra sensitive.
Alternatively, you could look at booking in shoulder season. Rentals in May, early June, September, and October will still have a good chance of decent weather, nice long days (10 pm sunsets in June), fewer crowds, and significantly fewer midges.
While being of no danger at all, there are a few easy ways to avoid midges, whether you change your travel dates or come armed with anti-midge protection.
How is the weather in Scotland?
Across 16 years and more than 10,000 bookings, Scottish properties generate more weather-related questions than any other region.
The reality is that Scottish weather is fairly rainy and rarely warm all year round. Yes, the best of the weather arrives in July and August. You also have a better chance of decent weather in shoulder season (May, June, September, and October), but it should never be relied on.
The best thing to do is embrace Scottish weather as part of the experience. That means decent rain gear, indoor backup plans, and a sense of humour. You’ll have an infinitely better time with this approach and mindset, even if you don’t have Mediterranean conditions.
This is Scotland. It’s beautiful. It’s also wet. Both things are true. But there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.
The beauty of Scotland is that you have a choice how far you venture from civilisation, all while feeling pretty rural.
At its most accessible, you have the Borders. Borders estates are 45 to 90 minutes south of Edinburgh and Edinburgh sits four and a half hours from London by train. This means you can do Friday evening arrivals by coordinating train and car journeys and avoiding a marathon drive.
Slightly less accessible, the Central Highlands near Inverness are a 3.5-hour drive from Edinburgh. Or you can take a direct flight from London, Manchester, or Bristol. It’s remote but not unreachable.
These are both great options for groups gathering from the four corners. Scotland-based friends and the northern England contingent gather in a Borders/Central Scotland property rather than one group doing a six-hour drive to meet the other. It feels fairer than expecting everyone to travel to the Highlands or meet in Yorkshire.
For properly remote, you’re looking at the Western Highlands and islands. Expect minimum four-to-five-hour drives from Edinburgh. You might even want to schedule in an overnight stop if you’re setting off late. But that remoteness is the point. If you wanted easy access, you’d book the Cotswolds.
Many large houses in the Scottish Highlands offer stalking, fishing, and shooting. But you’ll need to plan in advance.
Deer stalking runs August to October. You’ll need to be in good shape as it’s mostly hillwalking with a rifle rather than sitting in a hide. Costs vary widely for a full-day with an experienced ghillie.
Salmon fishing happens in spring and autumn although it depends on water levels. Some estates include fishing rights in rental prices, others charge separately. It tends to cost around £50 to £100 per rod per day for basic loch fishing. But you could pay significantly more for premium rivers.
Shooting (grouse, pheasant, partridge) on good estates books up 6 to 12 months ahead. Driven grouse shooting costs £200 or more per bird.
Your best approach is to coordinate your stalking, fishing, and shooting with estate staff, but keep in mind you’ll need to get in early and budget carefully.
Perfect for weddings or milestone birthdays, most Scotland estate rentals welcome ceilidhs. Many have ballrooms or barns built for exactly this. Pipe bands need advance notice and be sure to alert the neighbours, even on remote estates.
Our top tip for a swinging ceilidh is to hire an experienced caller who understands mixed ability groups. Teaching English guests Strip the Willow without causing injuries requires skill. We’ve coordinated hundreds of ceilidhs; the most successful ones have callers who can adapt to the room’s ability and sobriety levels.
Most properties have Wi-Fi for Spotify, but live ceilidh bands bring atmosphere that Bluetooth speakers can’t match. Budget £400 to £800 for band plus caller for three to four hours, depending on location and how far they’re travelling.
What could be better than a proper ceilidh to celebrate your time in Scotland?
