David Lidstone, known locally as 'River Dave', lived an off-the-grid life for three decades until last week when his cabin burned down. On 15 July, Lidstone was jailed on a civil contempt sanction and was told he would be released if he agreed to leave the cabin, following a property dispute that started in 2016. The landowner, 86-year-old Leonard Giles, wanted Lidstone to leave the property. A fire destroyed Lidstone’s cabin hours after he defended himself during a court hearing last Wednesday. Nevertheless, Lidstone says he is not grieving the loss of his life in isolation
‘River Dave’ says he doesn’t see how he can ‘go back to being a hermit’