Thread 2. To feel disappointed after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film?

[AWanderingFool]

Thread Two for The Salt Path and Raynor Winn/Sally Walker/Sally Winn discussions.

Thread One is here: www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5368194-to-feel-disappointed-after-reading-this-in-the-observer-about-the-author-and-her-husband-from-the-salt-path-book-and-film?

Well, yes. That's my point. Simply covering his arse/damage limitation would be saying something like "These allegations are very concerning". Stating that his aunt and uncle are pathological liars is a galaxy beyond that.

Also potentially libellous, but clearly he is feeling less worried about that now that things are coming out.

If this is true (which I think it probably is) how on earth did they think they would get away with it?

I am quite happy to throw enormous rocks at anyone who profits from telling lies about a progressive neurological condition.

He didn't need to say anything because I doubt very much anyone he was connected to on LinkedIn had any idea he was related to them. Walker's a common enough surname.

Yeah, that too. Clearly he has had it up to here with their lies and profiting from their lies.

It's all going to come crashing down.

In the wake of all this, a few further questions cropped up for me that don't quite add up.

1. They drive 4 hours to Liverpool (where there IS a specialist neuro unit that serves North Wales, i checked)...where a "top dog" consultant immediately diagnoses Moth without any sort of examination. This seems odd. Nevertheless, one must assume the consultant is merely diagnosing based on earlier 6 years of tests. In which case, why the need to drive all the way to Liverpool to get this news? Why not be referred to a Dr closer to home at one of the centres associated with the neuro unit in North Wales (where there was and is one).

As an aside, Raynor is incredibly dismissive of the other Dr's in the book she mentions who, in their expert opinions, diagnosed Moth differently. But they weren't "the top dog" (and even he isn't sure of his diagnosis). It all just reads as made up for drama and to create the necessary "Moth is dying" plot point to drive the story.

2 If Moth is unique in having miraculously survived CBD for so long, WHILE being able to go on long walks, why is more fuss not made? Surely he should be clinically studied to learn crucial things about the disease to help others?

3 Moth had debilitating pain in his shoulder and arm starting 6 years previously. I've become aware he did spent a day surfing in July 2015...is this plausible or sensible with CBD?

4 Did they actually rent part of their farm as holiday accomodation for income as suggested in the book? Again it works as an easy dramatic device to explain how they suddenly become unemployed due to the loss of house. But is that how they really made a living before everything went south?

5 Why didn't they visit or mention their son in Newquay who I've learned was studying there at the time? Instead they go to a soup kitchen and end up getting a bus further along the coast.

Just food for thought...

Have they raised money though?

I think today the PSP Association said they had distanced themselves from her.

Being cynical, supporting a charity like that would be a very good cover for their behaviour, wouldn't it?

Tell the world your husband has a condition and then help to raise money for it.

@Wetoldyousaurus I think though that his all misses the point of why people enjoyed the book so much. No-one really wants to read a book about how ‘perfect’ backpackers made perfect decisions at all times on their model wild camping trip. It wasn’t a manual.

But no one wants to read a book and then find it's all based on lies.

There is a huge gap between being a perfect backpacker and concocting a pack of lies.

She could have written a fiction book about non-perfect middle aged backpackers. That would have been fine. As it is, she's written a non-fiction book that is verging on fiction (and alleged lies.)

A couple of people directly connected with the debts have since died, plus they've changed their names.

The film promotion was the downfall.

I think it’s possible, and interesting to try to understand what happened here without minimising the original alleged crime of embezzlement. Millions of people read ‘Raynor’s’ book and were touched by it. I would argue, precisely because of the flawed nature of the protagonists and the author’s willingness to put some of those flaws on display.

Without getting too postmodern about it, all writing, whether billed as ‘fiction’ or ‘non-fiction’ is a little bit true and a little bit untrue. Which bits are which is largely up to you, the reader, and what you want, or need to believe to make you read the text in the first place.

That said, I am not in disagreement with you that these people allegedly did really bad and really stupid things. And I am fascinated by how this came about. I also feel disappointed that the parts of the story I thought were true, aren’t as true as I thought they were. I found the book inspiring and now I am left a little less inspired. That’s hard right now. And I’m sorry for everyone who is feeling the same way, or worse, because of this.

It's because the family of the man who signed the NDA came forward when he had died.

Sally and Tim assumed the NDA would see them through and felt safe from their past being discovered.

The Observwr “sense-maker” podcast says that people who knew the truth (Hemmings) didn’t know who to tell or how to be believed. It took a journalist following up on a tip off to bring it altogether.

I'd take the nephew's outburst on Linkedin with a pinch of salt ( or a tonne.)
It may well be true but equally he could be upset with them for all kinds of reasons.

Regardless of which, I do think it's unprofessional to have posted it on his LI profile. It's not really the place - there are plenty of other people he could talk to directly.

Yes, they say in their statement they received the monies that she’d raised.

Not sure. I have a very similar mustard moleskin coat from Mistral.

I think the very type of person who will steal £64,000 from a kind and trusting employer, renage on debtor’s agreements and be blatant enough to then rewrite history with glaring mistruths. Pathological liars don’t just suddenly stop so I now question everything in the book, including Moth’s diagnosis which, if this is to turn out to be the case, is reprehensible.

Please don’t do the “oh look, he can stand up and walk so he’s not disabled enough to get PIP” thing. It really impacts lots of people with non visible disabilities who then feel they can’t be seen to be doing anything lively or fun at all.

Yes the go fund me accounts all directly went to the charity according to the statement.

Without getting too postmodern about it, all writing, whether billed as ‘fiction’ or ‘non-fiction’ is a little bit true and a little bit untrue. Which bits are which is largely up to you, the reader, and what you want, or need to believe to make you read the text in the first place.

@Wetoldyousaurus Sorry but that's simply not true.

I think you said you'd not read the book? I have a copy right in front of me. The fly cover inside says that the author has assured the publisher that ,apart from some name changes to protect privacy of people they met on the walk, all the events are true.

What you have said here is not the case. It's nothing to do with post-modernism.

And lie about a house not having a mortgage or any charges on it while raffling it off...

I imagine he wanted to get off his chest something he'd held in for years and years.

I don't take it with a pinch of salt at all. He owns his own business, if he says anything libellous he'd lose his clients and probably his career.

Instead, he's doing his small bit to confirm the reporting by the Observer is true.

Please don’t do the “oh look, he can stand up and walk so he’s not disabled enough to get PIP” thing. It really impacts lots of people with non visible disabilities who then feel they can’t be seen to be doing anything lively or fun at all.

Conversely, we shouldn't let the above silence us on the fact that if he does have CBD, and has had it for as long as claimed, then that picture is nothing short of a medical miracle, if one is to be kind and careful with one's wording.

I understand your take on it @sualipa but I still feel very strongly that they are playing with fire, and potentially, lives.

Of course there are benefits to fresh air and gentle exercise - but there are also limitations. If someone with CBD thought "well Moth was cured by walking, why can't I be?", and throws caution to the winds, who knows what the repercussions could be? Some people with life limiting illnesses are desperate and will grasp at anything that looks like hope.

Grief, depression, inertia and desperation have featured large in my life over the last few years. I don't want to take advice from, or follow the example of, people who at best can be described as suspect. I think it's dangerous and wrong. There are better people and places from which to get inspiration.

How about "Oh look, he can walk the whole of the South West Coast Path"?

It's still unprofessional and the fact he owns a company designing boats makes it worse. He could have spoken to the press and made a bigger impact.