Chris Hankins who has lived at the property in Sopley near Christchurch with his wife Christine for the past 18 years emerges from the front door and offers to take me on a tour of the grounds.

It’s a baking hot summer’s day and I cast a wistful eye in the direction of the swimming pool and Jacuzzi complex as we stroll round the back of the house.

His wife Christine joins us on the lush green lawn and the three of us wander down to the lake where a small rowing boat is tethered near a bridge.

It’s a quintessentially English country scene.

But the last time I met Mr Hankins and his wife a few weeks before it was in a very different setting.

We were sat in the lounge of their caravan at Rockley Park in Poole watching the rain lash down outside.

The tour of their van took about five-minutes.

Their house covers 6,000 square feet.

But Chris and Christine who run The Woolpack pub in Sopley, try to spend as much time as possible at their mobile home – a 30-minute drive away at Rockley holiday park.

“My wife doesn’t like flying and there’s so much traffic on the roads these days so this is much more convenient,” explains Chris.

“I also suffer with asthma and I find the sea air helps.”

His wife Christine agrees. “We try to go there at least once a week if we can. It is so nice to get away and you couldn’t have a better view.

“I like to sit on my balcony and watch the boats coming in and out of the harbour – there is always lots going on.

“It’s also nice for the rest of the family and the grandchildren because there is so much for them to do.”

The Hankins like it so much they have even put their country pile on the market so they can spend more time there.

Their caravan is certainly one of the nicest in the park – they share the same sought-after vistas of Poole Harbour as their neighbours in the millionaire’s playground of Sandbanks.

And it’s spacious with patio doors opening onto decking and it has all the luxury extras– flat screen TVs, ensuite bathrooms and even a Jacuzzi bath.

But there’s no getting away from the fact that the two-bedroomed van would probably fit in their entrance hall at home.

“Some people are surprised when we tell them about our holiday place – but for us it’s a real home from home – everything is laid on for us – we are much more relaxed here than at home,” adds Christine.