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Families and the over-55s take the most holidays in the UK, according to Visit Britain figures and many see a holiday lodge home as a good investment, particularly as it is free from stamp

duty. Those with young children know they will get years of use over weekends and school holidays while over-55s generally have more spare time to spend in them.  There are also

opportunities to rent out holiday lodges and mobile homes to offset the cost of ground rent and maintenance and upmarket lodges can even earn owners a second income. Last year more than

13million British residents spent £19.6billion on overnight trips in England alone, with the South West from Sussex to Cornwall the most popular destination.  The North West, including the

Lake District, came next with the South East not far behind. Among those companies with holiday homes for sale is Bunn Leisure (01243 607776/bunnleisuresales.co.uk), which has a new gated

development, West Park, on the Selsey coastline in West Dorset between the Solent and Medmerry RSPB nature reserve.  Top-end mobile homes here cost £59,995 with large decked verandas, sea

views and private parking plus the option of a hot tub. The holiday park is right on the beach but also has an Oasis Leisure complex with a pool and family entertainment.  While the West

Sands section is near all the amenities, there are quieter options at White Horse Park – best for families with young children – and the tranquil Green Lawns area. Annual site fees and

insurance are mandatory but low rate finance is also available.  Beaches are a great summer attraction and many people enjoy out-of-season coastal breaks but being near a golf course is a

winning combination and if there’s a fishing lake on-site so much the better. You’ll find both at Pure Leisure’s Tydd St Giles Golf and Country Club (01945 897224/pureleisuregroup.co.uk),

where the 150 acres of landscaped grounds near Wisbech in Cambridgeshire include a new section with plots overlooking a peaceful koi pond. Prices for a new, fully-furnished and equipped

two-bedroom lodge start at £110,000 with a choice of locations, optional internal and external designs plus decking. There’s an indoor heated swimming pool, gym, sauna and steam room for

residents and all the lodges come with a 99-year licence and the option to sublet.  Pure Leisure also offers an Own-To-Let scheme at its South Lakeland Leisure Village which promises a six

per cent return over three years and includes organising bookings. Lakeside plots are available at the leisure village near Borwick in north Lancashire, 20 minutes from the Lake District,

Yorkshire Dales and coast and it has lodges from £75,000.  The site also has its own pool, gym, steam room, spa and restaurant. General manager Richard Gissing said: “The leisure village

runs on an 11-month season from February 7 to January 7 and site fees are considerably less than other Lake District parks without compromising on quality. A limited number of lakefront

pitches are remaining but prospective buyers need to be quick.”  Plots are also going fast at The Dream Lodge Group’s (0845 123 6333/thedreamlodgegroup.co.uk) new Fornham Park, a Capability

Brown landscape near Bury St Edmunds, and at The Sanctuary, its new Berkshire park near Newbury. Both open on August 1 and will feature the company’s new LAGO Lodge, unveiled at Grand

Designs Live in London last month.  The £400,000 lodges have been built at the company’s new UK factory and designed in collaboration with the Italian interiors company LAGO, which has a

store in Harrods. Ultra-chic with boutique hotelstyle décor, the three-bedroom lodges have a large outdoor deck with a hot tub and marketing director Martin Tribe says the upmarket lodges

will have plenty of space between them.  With a barbecue summer supposedly on the way, is this the year of the holiday mobile home?