Hundreds of campers descended on the Devon national park this summer as the UK’s Covid lockdown eased

The scene could hardly be more idyllic. A broad grassy bank next to a clear, burbling river. Downstream from the stone bridge, herons patrol the shallows, while deer, wild ponies and cattle trot down the hillside in the early autumn sunshine for a drink.

This spot at Bellever in the heart of Dartmoor was very different at the height of the summer, when hundreds of “fly-campers” descended from across the UK with tents, gazebos, music systems, fairy lights and generators to grab a taste of post-lockdown freedom.