We Found the Most Unique Holiday Home in Britain

We Found the Most Unique Holiday Home in Britain

Would you walk away from the modern world to live on a remote Scottish island like it’s the 1800s? If you are searching for a truly unique place to stay, Boloquoy Victorian Farmhouse on the Island of Sanday in Orkney is unlike anywhere else in the UK. This living museum is a unique place to stay because it serves as an untouched time capsule, where everything from the original furniture to family possessions is yours to touch and use. There really is no other unique place to stay that lets you live out social history quite like this!

The land around Boloquoy has been settled since Neolithic times, but the story of this farm truly took shape in 1800 when the Fea family built a traditional two-roomed Scottish cottage, known as a “but and ben”. In 1886, John Fea inherited the property and moved his family back from the busy maritime docks of Leith, Edinburgh. Bringing lower-middle-class treasures like decorative wallpaper, ornaments, and a cast-iron cooking range, John raised the roof to add a full-height second storey to accommodate his growing family. Passed down through generations, the farm remained intact because replacing items on a northern island was difficult and expensive. Old clothing was unstitched to weave homemade rag rugs. Instead of throwing away a relative’s belongings, families packed entire lives—clothes, letters, and tokens—into large wooden sea chests called kists, storing them safely away in the barns and lofts. The current owners chose to preserve this raw history, returning the house to the late 1800s when John and Robina Fea lived here.

Staying here offers complete peace and isolation. You can try sleeping in a traditional wooden box bed designed to trap body heat, listen to music on an antique gramophone, or read through the handwritten family archives. Beyond the farmhouse, the island landscape calls.

Wander through the Victorian sitting room, step into the mid-century 20th-century kitchen space, and enjoy the tranquil atmosphere of this coastal Victorian farmhouse. The old mill pond has been carefully restored as a wetland habitat in partnership with RSPB Scotland, making it a haven for coastal birds and waders. Keep your eyes peeled for the local puffin colony along the shore.

Island Life: Sanday’s local motto is “where there’s nothing to do… all day long,” making it perfect for beachcombing along pristine white-sand bays, cycling, and visiting local community spots like the Sinclair General Store.

Are you ready to swap the rush of daily life for the slow, quiet rhythms of the Orkney Islands?

👉 Check out the Boloquoy website to book your own unique stay https://www.boloquoy.co.uk
👉 Watch the full house preservation story on the owners’ YouTube channel! @boloquoy

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00:00 Overview of Most Unique Place to Stay
01:14 Getting to Sanday Orkney Islands
07:15 The hidden secrets inside
08:35 The History of Boloquoy and the Family
14:54 Afternoon Tea fit for a Victorian Queen!
18:39 Remote Island Shopping
20:42 A Room by Room Tour of the Victorian Farm
34:55 Secret Bathroom
35:32 What is a byre?
37:20 Cooking in a 50’s Kitchen
39:23 In next weeks episode
39:49 Walk to the Watermill and Shoreline
44:10 Using an aga for the first time
45:08 An evening in the Victorian Sitting Room
50:06 What’s it been like living in the past?