Thread 8: To feel disappointed after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film?

[DisappointedReader]

Well, this has turned out to be slightly longer than the dozen or so replies I expected when I started the first thread!

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

2nd Observer
https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/the-salt-path-whats-in-the-book-and-what-the-observer-has-found

3rd Observer
https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/the-salt-path-the-truth-behind-the-blockbuster-book-video

4th Observer
‘I felt I was being gaslit’ – the landlord who helped Ray...

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Raynor Winn/Sally Walker's statement Raynor Winn

New posters welcome. It would be helpful to read at least the four Observer items above before posting.

To all - Please be extremely cautious when it comes to naming or implicating people and addresses not in the public eye or with no direct connection to the story, and around the understandable health speculations, especially where details are unclear or still emerging. Please do not engage with possible visitors who seem to have their own agenda and seek to derail.

We have done amazingly well together - in the main that is, not mentioning any names but you know who you are! - for seven threads so far. I can't be on the threads as much as I'd like so all help with keeping our discussion ticking along in a healthy and civil fashion is very welcome.

No saltiness. Keep to the path. Thank you.

But it was much easier to forge a signature on a cheque, or 'lose' a few invoices, or make a few credit notes, or generally mess around with stuff, than it is now stuff is computerised and money sent electronically. And in a small company the person doing the books was very likely the only person looking at them. I can see it'd be very easy for someone in Sally Walker's role in that kind of company to hide wrongdoing for ages.

And yes DM wouldn't rest until it balanced to the last penny every time!

The BBC Wales interview did highlight:

• that the money allegedly embezzled + legal costs totalled £90,000
• this seems to tally with the loan documentation which Chloe H uncovered: £90,175.91 + costs of £10,491.90 (totalling £100,665.91)
• In her rebuttal, SW claims that the relative who made the loan agreed to waive the interest (18% pa) on the loan.
• I wonder if that has some bearing on the original investment in his company by TW in the 1990s? Something less that the £18K annual interest payment and with no relation to the £100K loan that was taken out. The 18% IR may seem high but probably had less to do "with company policy" than the fact that there was already a first charge of £230K on the property from the mortgage lender and thus the loan was effectively unsecured despite the second charge.

“The discredited Chloe Hadjimatheou “ - here we go. You do not get to write something as if it is a hard truth. This is very revealing rhetoric.

Absolutely clear agenda: very interesting.

My father died suddenly when I was 24 and for various family reasons I was left to sort out his business. The accounts were in a terrible mess, but the business made money so he was never too bothered. In all the sorting out it turned out that the bookkeeper (of many years)
had been taking any money that wasn’t audited, such as the savings account kept for the shop floor workers (this was before the days of everyone having bank accounts - wages were paid in cash in those little brown envelopes some of you may remember), the petty cash and I can’t remember what else. When I sacked him (awful thing to do, I hated it) I thought he’d “only” taken £4,000, but it turned out to be nearer £9,000 that could be proved.

He did return it all, in cash, in a plastic carrier bag - the sort butchers have at Christmas with a happy turkey printed on it. All quite surreal. I was just pleased to get the money back and didn’t go to the police.

However a month later one of our customers rang asking for a reference for the bookkeeper and gave me a major bollocking when I refused, telling me I was ruining a man’s life with my arrogant attitude. When I finally managed to get a word in, and said be careful about unaudited monies he was suitably shocked, especially as the man in question seemed such a mild, gentle person. Bookkeeper then rang me, ranting about my not giving him a good reference.

So I have very little sympathy for SW.

The story is the most read on the bbc news website at the moment, although it's not one of the lead stories - so the interest isn't dying down.

Wow! Lots of kind comments overnight! Thanks all. And thanks for being so patient and tolerant. Much appreciated.

First, let me reassure you that I’m just an ordinary person. I’m not Raynor Winn, a friend of hers, her agent, or a PR consultant etc.

Contrary to the accusation that “I have refused to engage”, I’ve actively questioned some of your working assumptions and I stand by what I’ve queried:

how reliable is the journalist? You’re keen to give her the benefit of the doubt in a way that you won’t with the author. It’s the Observer - yes. I read the Observer. But in this case I felt the first article was dreadful and full of holes and insinuation. I was surprised at its poor quality. The second article was very poorly constructed and full of opinions rather than facts. This made me question the journalist. She has a track record of poor fact-checking and sensationalism. But you argue that she must have learnt her lesson. That’s an opinion, not a fact.

why assume that Winn can afford to sue? You argue that Winn would sue if she was right and the paper incorrect in its accusations. I questioned that.

You argue that the Winns have spun a damaging tale about Moth’s health. You don’t believe their story and have pointed out the damage apparently done to other CBD sufferers. I’ve argued that they’ve framed the benefits of walking as something that has helped Moth. I don’t believe that they are responsible for how others interpret their experience. But in hindsight, perhaps a caveat specifying “what worked for Morh may not work for others with CBD” on the inside cover would have made sense.

you use the actions of the CBD charity as evidence of Winn’s guilt. I put forward the theory that the charity probably panicked in a PR crisis. Would a charity really refuse to work with an individual who is revealed to have a slow progressing form of a disease that they are championing? No. The charity was probably scared of the media frenzy, especially in a context where the Winn’s had raised substantial funds for them and there was a pecuniary interest. Any PR adviser would have advised the charity to drop the couple due to the potential reputational risk. However, this isn’t proof of the couple’s guilt.

You are - on the balance of probabilities - convinced that Winn stole 64k. Winn refers to mistakes. There is no irrefutable evidence either way, just an opinion of the business owner and the lodgement of a complaint to the police, with no charge. In a court of law, you’d need more evidence than is currently available to reach a guilty verdict. Unfortunately we will likely never know what really happened. However, I’ve argued that I’m not prepared to dismiss the book and the film over this issue. This doesn’t mean that I approve of criminals. It simply means that on balance it doesn’t drive me to dismiss the author as “all bad”.

i understand that you’ll want to dismiss the above as hyperbole - a tactic that posters on this thread use to denigrate opinions that they don’t approve of. But in the real, non-virtual world, it’s not a good look for mumsnet.

The BBC story also makes it clear that Mr Hemmings signed the NDA, not his wife or daughter.

(Even if an NDA can stop you talking about criminal behaviour,.which is very much in doubt)

Blank

Revealing comments from Jason Isaacs:

"We're climbing up these massive mountains and hills and dragging the backpack. You get to somewhere and you think wait, there's no way Moth climbed that because Moth had one useful leg, one arm, he couldn't pick his backpack up, his head wasn't straight... It was difficult and I'd call him and he'd go no I did actually, it took me 9 hours, but I did and I'm like bloody hell so then you've got to do it and you've got to do it 50 times because you're making a film. I didn't feel that I could really complain in light of what he went through."

https://youtube.com/shorts/YJavFX4iDds?si=pq9muNaB_ScaSZTW  0.40

Lots of commenters on various videos calling bullshit on them doing the walk. Particularly Cornish commenters.

Did the account have a posting history before yesterday?

No, first post (under that name, anyway) yesterday.

You are - on the balance of probabilities - convinced that Winn stole 64k. Winn refers to mistakes. There is no irrefutable evidence either way, just an opinion of the business owner and the lodgement of a complaint to the police, with no charge. In a court of law, you’d need more evidence than is currently available to reach a guilty verdict.

@Humankindness you have been very selective here
You've missed the following (for starters):

• statements from the Hemmings solicitor about the NDA
• no rebuttal by Sally of any aspect of the story
• the fact Sally ran away before the police interviewed her
• the fact Sally paid back the money (and documentary evidence this money was needed to prevent criminal charges)

I am quite happy to accept you are just someone who wants to explore this from another perspective, but if so why present just a selective set of "facts"?

However, I’ve argued that I’m not prepared to dismiss the book and the film over this issue. This doesn’t mean that I approve of criminals. It simply means that on balance it doesn’t drive me to dismiss the author as “all bad”.

There will be many admirers of SW that share these views and enjoy her prose, views on a wide range of topics and her struggles with Moth's illness. That is perfectly fine.They may well also be prepared to ignore the allegations of embezzlement and also accept that the 2013 CBD diagnosis was either made up or embellished. It's a free (ish) country and anybody can choose to read a book for whatever reason.

I certainly don't believe that SW is "all bad", nor do I think that most of the comments on MN are claiming that. Of course she has many redeeming features - raising awareness of CBD, raising money for PSPA, introducing people to the delights of walking the SWCP. However, that is not the point of this thread!

From an article by wild camper, Pheobe Smith...

In a strange twist of fate, Raynor Winn had read my book just before she and her husband, Moth, lost their family farm in 2013.'

I do wonder RW had aspirations to write a book, having seen the success of other authors, before she took Moth out on her own extended walkies.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/apr/19/salt-path-raynor-winn-film-cornwall-south-west-coast-path

The problem in this day and age is that people think opinion and facts are equal

as for SW not being able to afford to sue - firstly she’s a multi millionaire now but more likely penguin or the film company would have helped here as it is in their interests to shut this all down

the deafening silence from all sides is bizarre but I imagine there is stuff going on in the background

It simply means that on balance it doesn’t drive me to dismiss the author as “all bad”
I don't think the author is all bad, merely I believe that she stole the money, and was economical with the truth about her husband's disease!

Some of TSP’s disclaimer is there because of the medical stuff, which wouldn’t be relevant to most travel writing /books about walking.

I absolute don't think they did most of the Clovelly to probably Boscastle stretch. It is where the real cliffs, coombes and geography field trip points are.
And do you know why?
When it's low tide, which they don't seem to mention, you can walk the shoreline, cut a lot of the elevation out. It's absolutely glorious as well.

Right, it's sunny and high tide, I've got some ancient greek toga on and I'm off to troll the Emmets (tourists) on the cliff path.
Beware the tortoise, the path is littered wif 'em.
That ain't no ordinary rabbit
That there seagull peregrine has been watching for you
Have you come on holiday by mistake.

Because that's what we always do, have long random conversations rather than just saying good morning and walking on.

No, the business began in 2001 and she replaced a retired book keeper at some point after, guessing 2004ish.

In my experience of staff theft it often starts with a small amount, then gradually builds into larger and larger amounts....that's where it's been someone desperately short of cash has been tempted. Often there will be times when they attempt to repay without anyone noticing.

I've also come across the "professional" who either starts with the intention of stealing or realises quickly that they have a good opportunity. It's interesting that it averages £9k a year and that on the first realising money had gone missing when talking with the bank manager it was £9k and she quickly turned up and paid it with a sob story.

I leave you to make your minds up but I know I'm plumping for it being the second type of theft.

If I were part of a Raynor Winn / Walker's fightback team on social media, I wouldn’t waste time on MN it’s too detailed, too forensic, and too well policed. Instead, I’d focus on a few simple talking points that cast doubt on the story and lean into the idea of trial by media - what can you even believe these days? They haven’t killed anyone, after all. That kind of line.

Most people aren’t buried in the threads arguing over every detail. I’d do exactly what they’re doing now: lie low and say nothing and have top defensive lines - off the top of my head could be.

“It’s a memoir, not a court transcript.”

Personal stories are always subjective. The Salt Path was never billed as investigative journalism it's one person's emotional truth, told through memory and reflection.

“Everyone’s got a version. This is hers.”

Just because others remember things differently doesn’t mean the author is lying. Disputes over memory happen in every family, especially after trauma.

“The press loves a takedown.”

The media builds people up and tears them down. The timing and tone of these stories say more about media cycles than the truth of the book itself.

“Why now?”

Years after the book’s success, suddenly there’s a backlash? Feels like resentment or opportunism. If these concerns were so serious, why wait until now?

As William Rees-Mogg famously said about the Rolling Stones drug busts in the 60s “Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?”

But most of all I wouldn't argue that here !!

But in the real, non-virtual world, it’s not a good look for mumsnet.

Oh dear, we're bringing the tone of the entirety of MN down. All @DisappointedReader s fault, she started it! 😂.

But @Humankindness, you’re the one continually using hyperbole.

You keep saying things like other people assuming Sally Walker is ‘evil incarnate’ or ‘all bad’ No one has suggested that, or anything like it.

I’ve said repeatedly that I imagine she spun an unexpectedly successful book out of a tissue of omissions, reinventions, tweaked timelines, and outright untruths, underestimated the appetite for follow-up interest in Moth’s health, and got stuck with an elaborate lie she quite possibly in part came to believe herself as the film of TSP with two high-profile leads brought a new explosion of interest.

As regards her publisher’s due diligence (and the film company), I imagine she showed them some of the same medical letters she included with her rebuttal statement and no one queried the dates. She may have shown them some documents from the court case which won’t have been damning in themselves as they won’t include any mention of the reason the Walkers had originally needed to borrow the money.

Right, it's sunny and high tide, I've got some ancient greek toga on and I'm off to troll the Emmets (tourists) on the cliff path.

An ancient and honourable tradition; see also the sharp teeth and claws of drop bears, and haggi having different length legs, the better to hunt on steep slopes.

Yeah, I pointed out they were in Iceland in Feb 2017, demonstrated by IG posts. In TWS they go to Iceland after they've moved to the cider farm, so post 2018 in "in the middle of winter", to fit some narrative of improving Moth's health. Of course, they could have gone to Iceland twice, but no photos were posted of a second trip. Julie and Dave would know as I gather it's them who went with them in the book.

I’m sorry @Humankindnessbut I cannot engage with you if you can’t see that Sally’s actions around the £64k could possibly have been undertaken by someone who didn’t steal £64k. Happy Friday to you.

This!