The Salt Path was sold as an epic tale of resilience – an inspiring true story about the power of the human spirit and the healing beauty of the natural world in the face of life’s harshest trials: financial ruin, homelessness, and a devastating medical diagnosis.
The memoir struck a chord with millions, selling over two million copies, spawning sequels, and being adapted into a star-studded film. But now its author, Raynor Winn, is facing allegations that key elements of the story were fabricated.
Published in 2018, The Salt Path follows Winn and her husband, Moth, as they embark on a gruelling 630-mile trek along the South West Coast Path, prompted by a series of personal catastrophes.
Chief among them was the loss of their “forever home” – a 17th-century farmhouse in the Welsh countryside where they had raised their children – after a failed business venture with a longtime friend left them liable for tens of thousands of pounds.
Unfamiliar with the legal system and too broke to afford a solicitor, the couple lost their court case – and with it, their home. Not long after, Moth was diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration (CBD), a rare and incurable neurological condition said to be both degenerative and terminal.
Homeless and penniless, they packed their rucksacks and set out to walk the South West Coast Path: a 630-mile National Trail that snakes along the cliffs and beaches of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall before ending at Poole Harbour in Dorset.
What followed was described as a life-affirming journey of grief, healing, and nature’s quiet salvation. The Salt Path became a publishing sensation – selling over two million copies, translated into multiple languages, with sequels, a lucrative Penguin book deal, and a recent film adaptation starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.
What are the allegations against Raynor and Moth Winn?
But on Saturday (6 July), The Observer published an investigation that raised serious doubts about the truth behind Raynor Winn’s story – suggesting that not only might large parts of the memoir been embellished, but that the central premise of hardship and betrayal could have been built on a fiction of its own.
According to the investigation, Raynor and Moth Winn are not the names of the couple at all. They are reportedly Sally and Tim Walker – and far from being the victims of a doomed business venture, the real story, according to sources cited by The Observer, is more complex.
Ros Hemmings, a former friend of the couple, told The Observer that her late husband, Martin Hemmings, had once employed Sally at his estate agency. In 2008, she alleges, Sally failed to deposit a significant sum of money – prompting the family to audit their books. “There was around £9,000 missing over the previous few months,” Hemmings said.
After being confronted, Sally is said to have pleaded for time to repay the missing funds. The Hemmings apparently agreed, but the issue didn’t end there. Hemmings claims the true shortfall was far higher – eventually totalling some £64,000. She told The Observer: “Her claims in the book that it was all just a business deal that went wrong really upset me. When really she had embezzled the money from my husband. It made me feel sick.”
Police were informed and, according to Hemmings and their family solicitor Michael Strain, Sally was arrested and questioned – though no charges were ultimately brought.
A local officer confirmed to The Observer that the case had been referred to them. Sally was reportedly told to return to the station the following day – but never did. “She had vanished,” Hemmings said.
To resolve the matter, the Walkers allegedly borrowed £100,000 from a distant relative of Tim’s, on the condition that the Hemmings would drop any potential charges and sign a non-disclosure agreement. The Hemmings it seems agreed. No charges were brought. But when the Walkers allegedly failed to repay the loan, they lost their home in a 2012 court case – the same house at the heart of The Salt Path’s narrative.
The Observer’s investigation also questions the couple’s claim that they were “homeless” for years. While the book states they had nowhere to go, the investigation claims the Walkers have owned a house in France since 2007 – a dilapidated rural property that, while possibly uninhabitable, raises questions about the framing of their circumstances.
Doubts have also been cast over Moth’s diagnosis. Corticobasal degeneration typically carries a life expectancy of six to eight years. Yet The Salt Path describes him not only walking hundreds of miles, but doing so while living with the disease for more than 18 years. Neurologists consulted by The Observer said that anyone surviving that long would almost certainly require round-the-clock care – a stark contrast to the physically capable, spiritually renewed Moth described in the books.
In a statement provided to The Independent, Raynor Winn said: “Yesterday’s Observer article is highly misleading. We are taking legal advice and won’t be making any further comments at this time. The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives. This is the true story of our journey.”
In the wake of the revelations, health charity PSPA – which supports those affected by CBD and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) – announced that it had severed its relationship with the author.
“We are shocked and disappointed to learn of the allegations,” the charity said in a statement. “We know the article has taken everyone by surprise and has made people affected by CBD and PSP feel angry, let down and eager for clarity.”
The statement added that while the charity had worked with Raynor and Moth in good faith, “too many questions currently remain unanswered”. It emphasised that all fundraising by the couple had gone through official platforms and that PSPA had received the full amounts raised.
A spokesperson for Number 9 Films and Shadowplay Features – the production companies behind the recent adaptation of The Salt Path – told Deadline that no concerns had been raised about the book during development:“There were no known claims against the book at the time of optioning it or producing and distributing the film.”
