Thread 5: To feel disappointed after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film?

[DisappointedReader]

The Observer The real Salt Path: how a blockbuster book and film were ...

Second article in the Observer
https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/the-salt-path-whats-in-the-book-and-what-the-observer-has-found

Third item in the Observer
https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/the-salt-path-the-truth-behind-the-blockbuster-book-video

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Raynor Winn/Sally Walker's statement Raynor Winn

From Times ‘What Salt Path author Raynor Winn told me about honesty’ - Charlotte Lytton

’’He’s in a really good place at the moment’ she said of her husband’s health at the time, leaving me yet more curious as to why I hadn’t been able to
see that for myself, and why the arranged photoshoot had been postponed. In an interview Winn gave two years earlier, Moth was also nowhere to be seen, described then as ‘out shopping for provisions’. At the time of writing I wondered whether his absence was due to the ‘healing magic’ of their last walk wearing off. In light of recent allegations, though it’s hard not to speculate whether something else might have been at play’.

Although Moth almost certainly has some form of neurological condition this is now all giving ‘canoe’ vibes. ‘Winn’ maybe chosen alias because they realised they could generate ££ & ‘win’ & fool a gullible public whilst spinning a good yarn.

I like that someone is standing clearly for CH/the Observer's work and offering some matter-of-fact plain speaking about W/W actions. Pic of excerpt from The Times View linked earlier.

I think a lot of the initial 'handwringing, impolite to question, just a creative oopsie' public reaction has been led by the lacklustre 'copy but don't delve further' media response (for who knows what vested interests). Be interesting to see that turning.

I remember that. I wonder how Jason Isaacs feels now?

The publication of the next book has been delayed, announced by Penguin. Apparently in this one she walks the coast to coast path alone as Moth's health has deteriorated.

I'd never heard of them or the books until the thread on here, linking to the Observer article. In all the snippets I've seen of them, only Sally Walker speaks and it seems all the interviews are with her alone. Has anyone seen Timothy interviewed or contributing?

@User14March - "canoe vibes" 😄. It has crossed my mind she might claim coercion by him.

Or she has been coerced by him!

But I'm not sure how we'd ever know the actual truth or who to believe.

He seems to make odd guest appearance. A few years back, acc to Times, despite being in rude health swerved photoshoot & went off shopping when Journo knocked.

There seems to be a power imbalance in Wild Silence & a feeling she’d do anything for this gorgeous, blonde adventurer. Her parents think he’s lazy etc & are very against him which she takes for small mindedness.

Well should his terminal diagnosis play out then I fully expect her to claim he coerced her and she's finally free. Presumably though, as the author, she's the one with the money so the balance of power has shifted in their relationship. Will be interesting to see what happens.

It looks like he's been spending a fair bit of her cash on new outfits - that casual crumpled dandy look doesn't come cheap!

There's an archive link to read it at further up. Threads are moving fast so let's avoid adding whole articles if we can

Morning that was a hot night!

There may be nothing more to the cider farm than this: a wealthy investment banker turned cider-maker hears their story, is impressed, and offers them the use of an empty property he owns. Let’s be honest after their sudden fame, helping them out wouldn’t exactly damage his PR.

But both sides are shrewd operators. The Walkers likely saw themselves as bringing valuable publicity to the deal and may have expected more in return. Eventually, the relationship sours just two sets of business-minded people falling out over an unwritten understanding. And let’s not forget: he’s no novice, given his former career. Now, with neither side talking and no other evidence emerging, it’s a classic case of he said/she said and no one’s saying anything.

So potentially (as per the Times article someone put a link to earlier in the thread) they left their property at 2am before the bailiffs arrived the next morning. So potentially the passage in TSP about them sitting under the stairs whilst the bailiffs knocked on the door/spotting the book in a packing case was made up.

David Yelland (ex editor of the Sun is now invested in this story as a contrarian ! ). He also runs a PR agency maybe he's touting for business. Murdoch did try and buy Penguin in 2012 but was unsucessful.

I agree. I burned through the 3 books and finished them just a few days before the scandal broke (it's been a wild ride!) In the hiatus between I looked at the cider farm stuff because I wanted to buy some but was confused that it appeared to be so separate from the Raymoths, I wasn't sure I'd found the right business. I couldn't figure out why the cider farm wouldn't have leveraged the PR from the books. I guess the investor guy wanted to distance himself from them.

Is Tim Walker's uncle who is mentioned in the DM article as having provided the loan, named? if so, it might be possible to track down the details of the property company he ran. Tim Walker's father had a sister, Hazel J Walker who married a David L Cooper who would have been Tim's uncle. I suspect he is the chap who owned the property company.

Just sharing the Times article again.

Agree the cider farm is worthy of a journalist investigating further.

It does seem an almighty coincidence that a couple who have written stories about odd interplays between City financers and rural communities (was that the premise of How Not To Dal…), would end up being ‘rescued’ by an investment banker who happens to own a farm.

Some fairly obscure blog has come out with an 'everyman's' defence as they see it and then on the back of that managed to review the initial book - he then goes on to mention that goodreads appear to have suspended reviews for the time being to prevent them being review bombed. For him the jury's still out ...I should point these threads out to him !!

https://marketgardenreader.wordpress.com/2025/07/10/raynor-winn-salt-path-scandal-storm-in-a-salt-cellar/

He essentially told the Daily Mail to get lost and he’s probably smart enough to know not to get drawn into the story, whatever the reasons. His farmhouse seems to have been empty for quite some time, judging by the dust the Mail spotted when they peered through the windows. He doesn’t seem in any hurry to sell or rent the place, either.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14890227/Scandal-Salt-Path-author-husband-millionaire-benefactor-farmhouse.html

So, he’s suspicious of the Hemmings previous silence & wonders if they/M were also on the fiddle?! Why only coming forward now, etc?

He fails to objectively interrogate the ‘proof’ of the letters & any ‘tells’ in their timing etc. ‘Everyman’ largely missing this so far. Raymoth here come across as rather benign blunderers. IMO her books are fairly good page turners & accusations re: terribly poor writing don’t hold water. That bit, fair enough. The rest?…

Ah so he has an uncle whose surname is Cooper who they may have borrowed the money to cover the embezzlement from and it is ‘Cooper’ in the books who is the person with the bad business investments and the loan on their house. Such effort gone into protecting the privacy of real people there then 😁🙄

The uncle that the DM say the Walkers borrowed from to repay Hemmings is named as an Anthony Browne who died in 2016. No mention of a real Cooper.

Don't know if this have been shared previously in case it hasn't it's a Mail+ piece.
How archive.ph gets away with what they do god only knows. It's quite a shadowy but extremely useful site for sure and I appear to have been the first to archive it as well.

archive.ph/EBFnx

I live nearby. One strange thing - there are quite a few small cider producers locally and their produce is always visible in local restaurants and shops. Theirs? I’ve never seen it. Which does seem odd especially with the obvious marketing opportunity of the TSP connection. There must be a reason.