Forum menu
I read the book when it came out. I thought it was an OK summer read and human interest story, especially as we've walked chunks of the SWCP so could identify with the geography of it. We also watched the film recently but found that a bit meh.
Seems key aspects of this "true story" are more story than true and that there is a bit of a dark side to the author and her partner. Maybe I'm naive and the last to realise this, but admit I was taken in by the whole yarn.
More than a bit fishy eh! No happy feet in the Penguin camp I bet.
Read the article, seems like a nasty piece of work tbh. CCJs all over the place and a property in France when they were “homeless”??
Also the books seem to be just a repetition- hubby not well so we went for a walk & he got better! So much so he’s living far beyond what’s expected with his condition.
The relative that lent the money because “no relative of mine will go to jail” sounds equally lovely charging 18% interest.
Some of the little tales in that book felt far fetched to say the least. The one where she turns up in a new town and immediately plays cupid between two shy teens working in shops on opposite sides of the road seemed particularly unlikely. It was written as if she was some sort of fairy going around sprinkling magic dust about the place. It was mainly the author's unbearable, holier-than-thou arrogance that made me put it down in the end. Think I got about half way through. Must admit I doubted my own judgement, since so many people seemed to like the book. But having seen that video I now feel vindicated, so happy days!
Read the book, then started the follow on, but got fed up with her 'mums' death in detail - been through it ourselves, so this just stopped me carrying on. I'll watch the video above. They have been on telly going on about how bad things were, but let's see what my opinion is after above.
Blimey, watched it now.
Do we trust the Observer?
Do we trust the Observer?
Any reason not to? Raynor Wynn/ Sally Walker is not short of a few quid now and has every right to challenge in court if it's not true. Maybe even with Penguin's backing. I don't see what the Observer would have to gain if it isn't true?
Any reason not to?
Just a general mistrust of the media - the book's been out seven years, now all of a sudden it's been turned into a film and loads of grievances suddenly arise? Why weren't they pursued earlier?
I dunno - I thought it was a lovely book, and now a paper's shitting all over it, and I don't want to believe it's all nonsense. But then, I believed Lance right up until the Oprah interview, too. 🙁
Do we trust the Observer?
You can trust their lawyers to not have let them publish all this if it was nonsense
Just a general mistrust of the media - the book's been out seven years, now all of a sudden it's been turned into a film and loads of grievances suddenly arise? Why weren't they pursued earlier?
Because no-one really investigated it much earlier?
It's a bit like that bloke in the canoe story. Guy goes "missing" while out kayaking, all seems like a tragic death at sea, life insurance pays out.
And then over the years, everything gradually unravels and it turns out he's faked his death, collected the life insurance and is living in the attic at his home, unseen by anyone except his wife.
Same with the Captain Tom story - all seems nice and innocent and gradually (quite quickly in this case) the money-grabbing nature of his daughter becomes apparent.
Because no-one really investigated it much earlier?
Well, the suggestion is that the police were involved and nothing happened?
I guess we'll find out if there's any action over the breach of the alledged NDAs.
Why weren't they pursued earlier?
Because no one else bothered digging into the story. Might even be the film publicity had the journalist thinking "thats a nice sounding story so will read it this winter" before going "actually might be a story here".
Whilst the observer is a newish outfit (with the current owners) I cant see their lawyers not carefully double checking the claims.
There was a non disclosure agreement tied to the return of the considerable amount of money stolen initially. This money that was returned was borrowed from a relative, it was when it was required to be repaid that the repossession of the house took place.
There was a change of name too which does tend to hide a person’s identity - for a while!
When my wife read the book she said the whole narrative around the walk healing his condition smelled a bit like the ‘I don’t need chemo, I’ll just drink fruit juice’ type of quackery. Not surprised that the rest of the story is bollocks too
I read the book a last year and enjoyed it.
All the court case stuff at the beginning of the book I guess was skimmed over and whilst it was the reason for the walk it set up the story of loss combined with his sickness.
i do like it though when a good story is unpicked by investigations.
I'll watch the film when it ends up on terrestrial TV, for the scenery and hopefully with a better understanding of the characters involved.
Since so many people seemed to have enjoyed it, I tried reading it a few months back. I found her so annoying I had to put it down after about 50 pages.
I read the article and wasn't surprised. Like others, my first thought was that the lawyers wouldn't have let them publish it unless they had the receipts.
You managed 50 pages? I struggled through till about 45.
As a Guardian online subscriber I ventured on to the Observer site for the first time last week.
Yesterday was a bit of an eye opener and my first thought was they needed to bung a big rock into a pond to make a splash to let people know the Observer existed.
Yes, that was an interesting article. I started reading the book after an enjoyable 'Folk on Foot ' podcast featured it but, like others above, gave up quickly. I just didn't believe it. But then I think Dervla Murphy's 'Full Tilt' was liberally dosed with bullshit, too.
The 'story' has hit some of the tabloid papers.
Yesterday was a bit of an eye opener and my first thought was they needed to bung a big rock into a pond to make a splash to let people know the Observer existed.
Yeah I had to ask mrs750 if it was a daily mail or a guardian type paper before I went in to read it
Tortoise media do seem to be taking the Observer downmarket. I really don't understand why the Guardian group sold it. Hmmm, off to complain about this in another thread.
I read the original book a few years ago and enjoyed it. So many travel books end up being "we walked a bit and it rained, then we camped, next day we walked a bit and I got sore feet but it didn't rain as much."
This one was much better and more varied but I always assumed there was a degree of fiction in it. Bi enjoyed the next two books as well.
Mrs Elbrus listened to the original as an audio book which was read by Raynor Winn and said she liked the book but ended up really disliking the author.
It's a shame if they are fraudsters, I didn't see that coming at all.
It's a shame if they are fraudsters, I didn't see that coming at all.
That about sums it up for me. I do smirk at all those with 20/20 hindsight "I sussed 'em as wrong 'uns from the off". Not on here I hasten to add, but some of the claimed retrospective insight online is laughable.
I read the original book a few years ago and enjoyed it. So many travel books end up being "we walked a bit and it rained, then we camped, next day we walked a bit and I got sore feet but it didn't rain as much."
This one was much better and more varied but I always assumed there was a degree of fiction in it. Bi enjoyed the next two books as well.
Mrs Elbrus listened to the original as an audio book which was read by Raynor Winn and said she liked the book but ended up really disliking the author.
It's a shame if they are fraudsters, I didn't see that coming at all.
I agree. It was an enjoyable read. She didn't try to make her own character out to be particularly personable, or sociable, and I thought there was an interesting narrative about being homeless, which now may be entirely fictional and manipulative. Of course there were obvious fictional parts, Moth being mistaken for Simon Armitage everywhere they went is a stand out. He looks nothing like Armitage, so I thought maybe that it had happened once and been expanded for comedy effect.
I'm not going to pretend that I thought the whole story was made up - did they even walk the path, I'm wondering now? - but I wasn't sure how a couple who obviously had some money behind them could become homeless so quickly and have no help at all from friends and relatives. The other two books were rubbish, though!
Penguin now claiming they did all the relevant due diligence. Obviously they didn't dig too deep, otherwise they would have likely uncovered one of the many spurious 'facts' in the book.
Penguin now claiming they did all the relevant due diligence. Obviously they didn't dig too deep, otherwise they would have likely uncovered one of the many spurious 'facts' in the book.
What they actually said is that the authors basically signed a 'honest, it's true' and got a solicitor to read through, then before the film they had no complaints.
They did not actually do any phoning round, checking of business or addresses, etc
Penguin now claiming they did all the relevant due diligence. Obviously they didn't dig too deep, otherwise they would have likely uncovered one of the many spurious 'facts' in the book.
TBF, I am not sure how much checking they could be expected to do – they state they have a process for fact-checking non-fiction books before release (and this was also done by their lawyers). I assume publications are mostly checked on a good-faith basis to try to spot obvious untruths, not investigative fact-checking of every potential book. I believe they also have a contract to cover themselves in such instances so Sally Walker may find herself having to find another large sum of money to pay them back all the fees and royalties.
Sally Walker may find herself having to find another large sum of money to pay them back all the fees and royalties.
maybe she can then go on a walk and write about it!
I was encouraged to read it when it came out. It was so dull all the way through, then he got better, the end. Just didn't like it, and found it all a bit hollow. Does not surprise me that they may not be what they seem.
maybe she can then go on a walk and write about it!
😎
I believe they also have a contract to cover themselves in such instances so Sally Walker may find herself having to find another large sum of money to pay them back all the fees and royalties.
I would have thought anything like that would have expired? Penguin will have long ago made their money back on it.
The film makers, maybe. But again presumably they'd have to demonstrate a loss which is hard when it didn't do well critically anyway.
There won’t be a court case. Observer employ good lawyers and check their sources. It’s posturing and the truth looks a lot less palatable than the puff. I haven’t read it nor watched the film. But I grew up close to the path.
I would have thought anything like that would have expired? Penguin will have long ago made their money back on it.
But surely they want more than just their money back - they want to turn a profit on their investment and this revelation means future sales are likely to tank.
That about sums it up for me. I do smirk at all those with 20/20 hindsight "I sussed 'em as wrong 'uns from the off". Not on here I hasten to add, but some of the claimed retrospective insight online is laughable.
Well, quite. I enjoyed the book but I'm not overly invested in the author being a liar or not. Which seems to put me at odds with most of the noise.
I enjoyed the book but I'm not overly invested in the author being a liar or not.
I bet you enjoy reading all the Lance Armstrong books too 🙂
She's come back at it.
https://www.raynorwinn.co.uk/new-page
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c89eq12qvl5o.amp
Haven’t read the book. Hard to believe that of over 600 pages of notes this was the best movie version imaginable.
I was generous about it. https://prettygreenparrot.wordpress.com/2025/06/14/the-salt-path-is-long-winding-and-purposeless-5-10/
I bet you enjoy reading all the Lance Armstrong books too 🙂
I haven't read any of his books so can't offer an opinion on their merits.
Just rename it
The Pinch of Salt Path
Duplicate
Only just picking up on this as I don’t participate follow the news. Any story told often has a version of the tellers or authors version, some twisted truths and exaggerations. It’s hardly a revelation that another wouldn’t be accurate. I mean there was once a story about a guy who could walk on water and come back from the dead.