Thread 13: 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's original exposé: The real Salt Path: how a blockbuster book and film were ...

The 12 Observer reports currently available online: The real Salt Path | The Observer

Raynor Winn/Sally Walker's statement: Raynor Winn

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

Threads 2-11: Links all in the OP of Thread 12

Thread 12: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5384574-thread-12-to-feel-disappointed-after-reading-this-in-the-observer-about-the-author-and-her-husband-from-the-salt-path-book-and-film?

New posters joining us in the genuine spirit of our civil discourse welcome. It would be helpful to read at least some of the Observer items above before posting. There are currently 12 interesting items on The Observer website and linked to above.

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 visitors who seem to have their own agenda and seek to derail. Avoid @'ing and quoting them as - from experience - this will only encourage them back to the threads. We have done amazingly well together for twelve very interesting, very serious and very silly threads so far. I can't be here as much as I'd like so all help with keeping our discussion walking along in our usual reasonable and respectful fashion is very welcome.

Have the sales or thefts of fudge gone up recently?
Will Simon's head ever turn up?
Has the shed of doubt yet burst at the seams?
Will the old charabanc hold up as a tour bus for our hip new band The Drive-By Scolders?
And finally, how much salt can we possibly cram into a giant pinch?

Keep to the path. No saltiness. May the fudge be with you.

@SaltyNews did I miss whose blog that is?

I should add that the bizarre Miss J is eviscerated in the comments as usual.

There could be some shared character traits with Liz and the WalkerWinns.

Sorry @SaltyNews i read the article after I posted my question to you 🤦‍♀️

"He said he had a neurological condition that left him with stiff legs." But forgot to mention that it was fatal.

Both of my screenshots are from the couple’s blog referred to in today’s CH article.

MNHQ have hidden one of my posts (in hindsight - quite rightly) as I linked directly to the blog.

I'm struck by how fit and well TW looks at the Fat Apples Cafe. I wonder how long they had been walking in the opposite direction to what is described in TSP.

I guess the chronology also increases the likelihood that they did reach LE on 15th Sept 2013 and then went on the the Minack on 16th Sept before getting a lift to Bristol with their son on 17th Sept.

Is it this one?
https://archive.ph/Bvd4t

Yes it is, thanks.

Photos of the fry up at the Fat Apples Cafe and the Gillan ferry

She definitely sounds like she has Sally character traits. Liked her dismissive comment about TSP: "I couldn't finish the book: too boring."

Agree but I think chronology is generally suspect & they walked:camped stints at different times. Maybe that’s not in dispute now (?)

To be fair, you wouldn't necessarily mention that aspect to a near total stranger in the situation described.
But I wonder if he just described it as a 'neurological condition' or if he said something more specific that the Parsons didn't remember - it might have been interesting otherwise.
Would 'stiff legs' as a symptom point to anything specific? Probably not...

She's no fan of Raymoth for sure.

The article makes clear that the meeting at the Fat Apples Cafe took place on Saturday 8 August 2015.

Exactly - some weeks after the visit to the neurologist (in Liverpool?) which gave the diagnosis of indolent CBD/CBS

I have to confess, following these threads from the beginning, I thought some of the speculation about dates and when they walked the path were a bit far-fetched. But they weren’t far-fetched at all!

for some reason this article is the most damning to me, apart from the first one revealing the embezzlement. It’s so specific and not speculative at all with contemporaneous blog posts and photographs, and the later emails.

I was bemused by your non sequiter that a proven encounter at the Fat Apples Cafe in 2015 bolstered the "likelihood that they did reach LE on 15th Sept 2013 and then went on the the Minack on 16th Sept before getting a lift to Bristol with their son on 17th Sept."

Why should it be wrong to link to their blog?

They agreed to being featured in the Observer with their full names and pictures and the sentence
They catalogued their journey in their blog, which is still available online.
They clearly don't mind people looking it up it would say.

Interesting article from The Mirror in March this year - apologies if posted already. A couple who said they'd never heard of The Salt Path, lost their home when the rent was increased and walked part of the SWCP after staying with friends in the area. The man had a faulty heart valve and they planned regular stops to get his medication: they read TSP whilst on their trip. Later they got council housing in Newquay. The walk took 297 days and they regarded TSP as rather far-fetched.

What strikes me about very sick people going on arduous long walks is the selfishness - if there was a medical emergency the medical air ambulance would have to come out and these flights are hugely expensive. That said, I find this couple's story more authentic than The WalkerWinns. Perhaps part of the WWs legacy will be others inspired to do some get-rich-quick embroidered storytelling.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/travel/life-couple-made-homeless-rent-34925787

CH has been quite careful in her article today in not linking to any websites etc. But providing enough information for anyone to find the relevant websites. I think she’s right. I posted the link in haste but on reflection I wouldn’t have posted it.

Btw I also think the CH is a MN’ers! Just a hunch - but I think she is keeping a careful eye on these threads!!

Apologies. If they were walking towards Land's End and were at the Fat Apples Cafe on 8 Aug 2015 then its pretty unlikely (imo) that they reached Land's End on 15th Sept 2015. Thus the likelihood increases that the cropped IG photo of them standing in front of the LE signpost is of 15 Sept 2013 (as described in TSP) and that they did spend the next night at the Treen campsite , possibly having been to the Minack to see Iolanthe, unlikely though that seems.

Great to see that CH has found evidence of a walk in 2015, tying in with theories we've posted here.

What stands out for me is "they didn’t tell us they were homeless". On the face of it, in 2015 when they met, the Walkers weren't homeless. But I struggle to believe they wouldn't have mentioned becoming homeless in 2013 during their conversation. Yes, it's documented that they lost the house in 2013 but I believe now they were never homeless at all but stole the Parsons' situation for the book to embellishments the repossession.

It's interesting that in the acknowledgements section of TSP a number of people are thanked for having allowed Raymoth to stay with them/sofa surf including Adi and Cara, Sue and Steve, Janette and Polly. I believe at least 2 of them are Staffordshire based.

People are usually very keen that their blog is read by as many people as possible. That's the whole point of publishing a blog accessible by anyone. I don't see any issue with providing a link from MN to another publicly accessible website*.

*usual caveats that contents of website are legal, decent etc