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The Salt Path - the truth
Comments
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Yeah, I've got a neurological thing and wondered how he managed to keep doing these massive walks and apparently got better after. Decent reporting, that, by the looks of it, though I suppose we still don't have their side of it.3
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I really disliked the book and thought the writer came across as massively entitled so not too surprised by this2
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I enjoyed the book but felt there was definitely something missing on the "we lost our forever home" bit at the beginning, it didn't feel like the whole story was being told.
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Not read the book but what a pair of shysters.0
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Feel so vindicated in the fact I hated the book at the time and thought she came across so badly, when everyone was calling it inspirational and moving etc.3
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Found by original review on the reading thread... knew she was a wrong un!
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn.Got sucked in by the beautiful cover and the fact I love a walking/cycling/road trip type book generally. I really didn't like it - awful woman, dull book.She and her husband lose their farm and home through their own poor investment (despite apparently having the evidence to prove their case during a 3 year long court case), and never in that 3 years do they apparently make a back up plan for just in case they lose.Her husband is then diagnosed with a terminal rare type of dementia (which, if true, is very sad), and as they "only have a week" (after the 3 years), they get very snooty about having to live in a council house and get a job that she considers beneath her, decide to go on a benefit funded walking and sulking holiday on the South West Coast Path instead, sleeping in a tent on the way.She then spends 200 pages whinging about this despite it being their fault and their choice, and pages on end of 'woe is me' stuff gets really tiring.They steal stuff, pitch up on campsites (and use the showers etc too) without paying, shit everywhere without burying it as a small trowel would apparently make all the difference in weight in their bags, get shirty if cafes don't provide a pot of boiling water and a seat so they can make their own tea and pay the cafe nothing, and are rude to basically everyone they meet.She even gets sarcastic about a friend who kindly puts them up for the winter period in a barn, gets Raynor some temporary work and then dares to ask them to do a bit of decorating to the barn in lieu of month's worth of rent.She also fails to describe much of the amazing scenery etc which is basically what I want in a travel book (along with a bit of wit, again lacking).I mean, good call to do this in a way, she got a holiday and then a book out of it.6 -
Shame as the film was a decent watch.1
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Was going to see the film...may not/undecided now. If they paid their debts I think they may start on the right path (pun intended)1
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Maybe they could start up a new business venture with Sir Tom Moore's family, they all seem totally trustworthy characters
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It's odd how sometimes you just think "na I don't buy that" their whole story just didn't add up for me when I heard it.
I hope that they haven't lied about the man's illness like they have lied about so much other stuff but it wouldn't surprise me.
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Found my review from last year after being suckered into buying it, given the ludicrous prominence it receives in all book shops:
"Up there with the worst books I’ve ever started to read. Whingebag walking the south coast and making up stories along the way. Excruciating and gave up after a few pages"
I got about twenty pages in and realised everything she said was a an utter fabrication, not even an enjoyable or well written one. To this day I'm mystified as to how this is regarded as a good read.2 -
That may be the worse part of it.Karim_myBagheri said:It's odd how sometimes you just think "na I don't buy that" their whole story just didn't add up for me when I heard it.
I hope that they haven't lied about the man's illness like they have lied about so much other stuff but it wouldn't surprise me.
Giving people false hope of a walking cure, making people with the illness feel bad they aren't doing long walks to cure themselves or worse rejecting proper medical treatment for hippie nonsense.
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They've probably signed a sponsorship deal with Blacks/Millets.Henry Irving said:
That may be the worse part of it.Karim_myBagheri said:It's odd how sometimes you just think "na I don't buy that" their whole story just didn't add up for me when I heard it.
I hope that they haven't lied about the man's illness like they have lied about so much other stuff but it wouldn't surprise me.
Giving people false hope of a walking cure, making people with the illness feel bad they aren't doing long walks to cure themselves or worse rejecting proper medical treatment for hippie nonsense.
I remember there being a lot of fuss about this a while back with them popping up on TV all over the place, which is presumably when the first book came out, and thinking it all seemed a bit "odd", but must confess I hadn't really been following the "story" since then.3 -
Yeah but I had to watch the bath bit from between my fingers 😉valleynick66 said:Shame as the film was a decent watch.0 -
There were quite a few bits i thought rang false - the Simon Armitage stuff, people constantly calling them old (British people are too polite) and being shocked they were walking at their age, as if half the people on walking holidays aren't retired pensioner types, and yes, his illness (hence the 'if true') in my review above.Karim_myBagheri said:It's odd how sometimes you just think "na I don't buy that" their whole story just didn't add up for me when I heard it.
I hope that they haven't lied about the man's illness like they have lied about so much other stuff but it wouldn't surprise me.
But if The Observer article is right, they're even worse people than I thought they were!6 -
All passed me by until this thread. I don't think I will go looking for the book or film. Sound like a couple of grifters.6
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Am I the only one that read the title as “Seth Plum - the truth”?17
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Ki da surprised someone called Southall wasn't involved at some point.5
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Honestly never heard of them or their story. Sound like a right pair of pricks.4
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Makes me wonder how many 'autobiographies' are anywhere close to the reality, I suspect, not many1
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You won't get anything as far apart as Southall and the truth.ken_shabby said:Ki da surprised someone called Southall wasn't involved at some point.2 -
Always take them with a pinch of salt (no pun intended) as there's usually a reasonable amount of "and then I definitely said that funny line, rather than thinking of it four hours later."Lincsaddick said:Makes me wonder how many 'autobiographies' are anywhere close to the reality, I suspect, not many
But there's a difference between the odd embellishment of a largely true story to make it funnier or whatever to the reader, and the allegations that have come out about the veracity of Raynor Winn's writing.
Given she admitted benefits fraud (she claimed job seeker's allowance at a false address, wasn't seeking a job [yes, I know that's not uncommon], worked cash in hand a couple of times which I'd bet that wasn't declared and theft (camping and using the facilities without paying pretty often, stealing food from a shop) in a book that I presume she wrote to make herself look good, I can't be that shocked that there appears to have been worse actions behind the scenes.6 -
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I fed back that the book lacked authenticity which is book group speak for cobblers. Quite a lot of it didn’t ring true and as others have said it wasn’t great writing either. I was in a minority of one at the time but feeling a bit smug now6
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'We're taking legal advice', doesn't sound like a very convincing rebuttal.6
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And that they call it 'misleading' rather than untrue.Stig said:'We're taking legal advice', doesn't sound like a very convincing rebuttal.
Suspect their legal advice might revolve around whether there could be any cases against them rather than for them.
Maybe at most they might be getting legal advise on whether there was a breach of the alleged NDA.0 -
All you can say is that The Observers lawyers would have been all over that article before it went to print.10
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Couldn't be arsed to read all the article, but the one thing I take from it is that Gillian Anderson has a great set of lungs on hershirty5 said:
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I didn’t enjoy the book, found it really annoying & I don’t like actors Jason Issac’s or Gillian Anderson so that put me of the film. Wow Observer 4 page article really exposes them for a pair of fraudsters. Moths story of having CBD is unbelievable as 9 yes ..Nine neurologists specialising in CBD were sceptical of length of his illness 18yrs & his present healthy condition when most die in 6-8yrs. Observer lawyers would have been all over this & made sure it’s water tight. It seems the author has left a trail of deceit & lies for years, amazing that the publisher & film co didn’t do their due diligence.3
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Have they actually paid back any of the money they owe?0
