Thread 14: 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 13 Observer items currently available on their online 'The real Salt Path' page: The real Salt Path | The Observer

3 more from The Observer:

‘Hope is extinguished’: CBD patients respond to Salt Path...

The real Salt Path | The Observer (The Slow Newscast)

‘We thought: it can’t be the Salt Path couple – they’d ha...

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?

Thread 13: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5386458-thread-13-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 16 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 thirteen 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.

Are we all becoming Hyperglycaemic from all the fudge?
Have shares in Cadbury's gone up?
Can we remain cheerful in the face of such shameless glumwashing?
Will I need to fill up with much petrol this thread for the drive-by scoldings?
Will our Chloe H get exclusive interviews with the disgruntled peregrine, tortoise and Hollywood rabbits?
What has our Simon A got to say about this, preferably in verse?

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

NO POSTS PLEASE EXCEPT FOR THE TIMELINE POSTS UNTIL THE LAST THREAD IS FULL

NO QUOTING THE TIMELINE POSTS IN FULL

Thank you

TIMELINE PART ONE – 1960 to July 2013

Please do not quote this post!!!

1960
Timothy (Tim) Ronald Walker born in Burton-upon-Trent Registration District (FreeBMD)

1962
Sally Ann Winn born in Melton Mowbray Registration District (FreeBMD)

Early 1980s
Tim Walker and Sally Winn meet at college (The Salt Path, 2018)

1986
Timothy Ronald Walker, a plasterer from Burton-upon-Trent, and Sally Ann Winn, a clerical officer from Dunstall, marry on Skye. Timothy’s father was a Master Plasterer, and Sally’s a Farm Stockman (Scotland’s People)

c. 1988 – c. 1991
Sally Walker states she worked at the local court in the fines department, worked her way up, then was offered the opportunity to study; she says she completed two years of a law degree, whilst working full time and having two children, as well as renovating their house, and growing vegetables (Career Interrupted podcast, No money No home No plan…, 19 June 2025)

1980s/90s
Tim Walker an eco-activist according to Sally Walker (Independent, The Salt Path One woman’s journey…, 23 August 2018)

Early 1990s
Sally Walker says Tim invested in a friend’s property portfolio (Raynor Winn website, Sally Walker’s statement, July 2025)

c. 1992
Sally Walker states she and ‘Moth’ bought ‘dilapidated’ Pen y Maes when their children were ‘eighteen months to two years old’ (Meaningful Films, No Place Like Home, Episode 1, Raynor Winn)

? – c. 1994
Tim Walker states he was working as Master Plasterer for family business in Staffordshire; wife Sally Walker was a Law Clerk from Gwynedd (BBC Wales North West, The life of a garden, 7 September 2004)

c. 1994
Tim Walker says he and Sally left their jobs, sold their house in Staffordshire due to young son wandering into road where they live, and moved to rented house in Criccieth (BBC Wales North West, The life of a garden, 7 September 2004)

c. 1994
Tim, mentioning a botany degree, began volunteering at the National Trust’s Plas yn Rhiw garden (BBC Wales North West, The life of a garden, 7 September 2004)

1995
Tim Walker employed as gardener at Plas yn Rhiw (BBC Wales North West, The life of a garden, 7 September 2004)

Late 1990s
Ros Hemmings states she met Tim Walker when he was the gardener at Plas yn Rhiw, and she worked in the house there (Observer, The Slow Newscast, The real Salt Path, 29 July 2025)

Early 2000s
Tim Walker was head gardener at Plas yn Rhiw (The Daily Mail, Couple whose memoir inspired hit film, btl comment by Pwhlleli local, 6 July 2025)

c. 2000/02 (date not confirmed as Ros Hemmings unsure of exact date)
Ros Hemmings states Sally Walker told her she had been made redundant from a hotel in Abersoch (Observer, ‘She broke the trust’ video, 6 July 2025)

c. 2000/02 (date not confirmed as per above)
Ros Hemmings says Sally Walker began working part time for her husband Martin Hemmings in Pwllheli (Observer, ‘She broke the trust’ video, 6 July 2025)

2004
Tim Walker worked at Plas yn Rhiw (BBC Wales North West, The life of a garden, article captured 7 September 2004)

2004
Tim Walker, his brother, and their families, photographed by local resident at Village du Dropt property (The Daily Mail, The Salt Path secret, 15 July 2025)

c. 2004
Ros Hemmings states that Tim Walker left his job at Plas yn Rhiw in ‘I think, 2004’ (Observer ‘The Slow Newscast’ podcast, 29 July 2025)

2007
Tim Walker bought the house at Village du Dropt, with a little land. The property was run down but habitable at this time according to a local resident (Observer, The real Salt Path, 5 July 2025) Pigeonnier owned by his brother (The Daily Mail, The Salt Path secret, 15 July 2025)

c. Easter 2008
Martin and Ros Hemmings discovered potential embezzlement of £9000 (Observer, ‘She broke the trust’ video, 6 July 2025)

2008
Sally Walker repayed ‘several thousands’ to the Hemmings (Observer, ‘She broke the trust’ video, 6 July 2025) She said Martin Hemmings had lent her the money (Observer ‘The Slow Newscast’ podcast, 29 July 2025)

2008
The Hemmings discovered more serious potential embezzlement of over £60,000, and went to the police (Observer, ‘She broke the trust’ video, 6 July 2025); the amount was between £60,000 and £70,000 (Observer ‘The Slow Newscast’ podcast, 29 July 2025)

2008
Sally Walker arrested and bailed, with instructions to return to the police station the following day. She disappeared (Observer, ‘She broke the trust’ video, 6 July 2025)

2008
Sally Walker loaned £100,000 at 18% pa by Tim’s relative “James” with house as collateral (Observer, The real Salt Path, 5 July 2025); Sally Walker says she was loaned £100,000 by “Cooper”, an old friend, at 18% pa with house as collateral (Raynor Winn website, Sally Walker’s statement, July 2025)

2008
Stolen money returned to Martin Hemmings, who dropped the case (Observer, ‘She broke the trust’ video, 6 July 2025); Hemmings agreed to an NDA (Observer, The real Salt Path, 5 July 2025)

2008/09
“James”’ business went bust (Observer, The real Salt Path, 5 July 2025)

c. 2009/2010
Loan transferred to two creditors of “James” (Observer, The real Salt Path, 5 July 2025)

January 2010
Pen y Maes listed for sale for £395,000 (Zoopla)

March 2011
Pen y Maes on the market for £435,000 (Escape to the Country TV show)

2011-14
At least five county court judgements against the Walkers (Observer, The real Salt Path, 5 July 2025)

March 2012
Gangani Publishing Ltd was set up with Tim Walker as Director and Tim Walker and Sally Walker as joint shareholders (Companies House)

2012
Gangani published How Not to Dal dy Dir by Izzy Wyn-Thomas (Sally Walker). Those who bought the book told they were entered into a prize draw to win a house in Wales‘free from mortgage or any other legal…charge’ (Observer ‘The Slow Newscast’ podcast, 29 July 2025; Gangani Publishing, 2012)

February 2012
Creditors called in the loan, then exceeding £150,000. Judge ordered payment within 12 months or house would be repossessed (Observer, The Salt Path what’s in the book and what The Observer has found, 6 July 2025)

2012
Martin Hemmings died (Observer, The real Salt Path, 5 July 2025)

2013
Sally Walker says they were told by clinicians that Tim ‘probably wouldn’t last two years’ (Independent, The Salt Path One woman’s journey…, 23 August 2018)

2013
Sally Walker says she refunded those who had entered the prize draw (Raynor Winn website, Sally Walker’s statement, July 2025)

June 2013
Pen y Maes repossessed (The Salt Path, 2018); The Walkers left under cover of darkness according to a local farmer (The Times, The Salt Path scandal: what Raynor Winn’s former neighbours think, 11 July 2025); The Walkers hid under the stairs as the bailiffs arrived (The Salt Path, 2018)

July 2013
Gangani Publishing Ltd dissolved (Companies House)

Please do not quote this post!!!

TIMELINE PART TWO – August 2013 to 2025

Please do not quote this post!!!

Early August 2013
Sally Walker states her and Tim began a walk along the SWCP one Thursday (The Salt Path, 2018)

29 August – 17 September 2013
Simon Armitage walked from Minehead to Land’s End (Guardian, Simon Armitage to walk south-west coast path, 19 February 2013)

October 2013
According to Sally Walker first part of walk ended at Polruan (The Salt Path, 2018)

Mid July – early September 2014
Walk recommenced at Poole, and concluded at Polruan, according to Sally Walker (The Salt Path, 2018)

25 June 2015
Tim Walker diagnosed with possible corticobasal syndrome symptoms (CBS), although these symptoms are ‘indolent’ and ‘mild’ (Raynor Winn website, medical letters, released July 2025)

8 August 2015
Joanne and David Parson meet the Walkers at the Fat Apples Café, near Porthallow, an event that, according to Sally Walker in The Salt Path, took place in summer 2013 (Observer, We thought: it can’t be the Salt Path couple…, 9 August 2025)

Autumn 2015
Tim Walker began horticulture degree, with full student loan funding for a first degree (Falmouth Packet, Eden students take award winning garden to Hampton Court Flower Show, 8 July 2016; The Salt Path, 2018)

2016
“James” died (Observer, The real Salt Path, 5 July 2025)

25 July 2016
Pen y Maes sold for £280,000 to Maxine Farrimond (Land Registry; Observer, The real Salt Path, 5 July 2025)

July 2016
Farrimond started receiving letters: debt collection agencies, speeding fines, credit card bills and other unpaid bills addressed to the Walkers (Observer, The real Salt Path, 5 July 2025)

February 2017
Walkers travelled to Iceland for walking holiday (Raynor Winn Instagram)

22 March 2018
Hardback publication of The Salt Path

2018
“Moth”’s real name was Ray (Independent, The Salt Path One woman’s journey…, 23 August 2018)

January 2019
The Walkers move to Bill Cole’s cider farm (The Wild Silence, 2020)

August 2019
Sally Walker states they started a walk in Iceland (The Wild Silence, 2020)

17 October 2019
Consultant suggested Tim Walker’s illness may have been something else, a ‘more unusual disorder’ (Raynor Winn website, medical letters, released July 2025)

3 September 2020
Hardback publication of The Wild Silence

21 May 2021 – 15 September 2021
Sally Walker states her and Tim walked the length of Britain on various long distance footpaths (Raynor Winn Instagram; Landlines, 2022)

October 2021
Tim Walker told Bill Cole that consultant advised not to plan past Christmas (Observer, ‘I felt I was being gaslit’, July 2025)

Winter 2021
Sally Walker states that two scans taken before and after their walk of various UK long distance paths showed that pre-walk recorded damage to Tim’s brain had disappeared by the post-walk second scan, which had ‘a normal reading’ (Landlines, 2022)

15 September 2022
Hardback publication of Landlines

Late September 2022
Bill Cole read in Landlines about Tim Walker’s normal brain scan results in late 2021 (Observer, ‘I felt I was being gaslit’, July 2025)

October 2022
A few weeks after Bill Cole read the book, Rick Stein filmed at Haye Farm (Observer, ‘I felt I was being gaslit’, July 2025)

November/December 2022
Shortly after filming, the Walkers left Bill Cole’s farm for pastures new (Observer, ‘I felt I was being gaslit’, July 2025)

14 February 2023
Series 3, Episode 2 of Rick Stein’s Cornwall aired, featuring the Walkers as cider farm entrepreneurs (BBC 2, Rick Stein’s Cornwall)

24 April 2023
Sally & Tim Walker walked the London Marathon (Raynor Winn’s Instagram)

7 April 2024 – 18 April 2024
Sally & Tim Walker walked The Thames Path (Raynor Winn’s Instagram)

5 July 2025
Observer began publishing articles by investigative journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou (Observer, The real Salt Path collection, July 2025)

Please do not quote this post!!!

TIMELINE PART THREE – Links to references

BBC 2, Rick Stein’s Cornwall, 14 February 2023: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001j82s

BBC Wales North West, The life of a garden, captured 7 September 2004, from probably summer 2004: https://archive.ph/6KXzq

Falmouth Packet, Eden students take award winning garden to Hampton Court Flower Show, 8 July 2016: https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/14607378.eden-students-take-award-winning-garden-to-hampton-court-flower-show/

FreeBMD: https://www.freebmd.org.uk/

Career Interrupted podcast, No money No home No plan…, 19 June 2025: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/career-interrupted/e283no-home-no-money-no-plan-URg9c06YKIW/?t=58

Land Registry, LL53 6YA: https://landregistry.data.gov.uk/data/ppi/transaction/3B7E0B90-8B85-EA99-E050-A8C062057E77/current

Meaningful Films, No Place Like Home, Episode 1, Raynor Winn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=H-CYegWZM20

Scotland’s People: https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/

The Daily Mail, Couple whose memoir inspired hit film, 6 July 2025: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14880299/couple-memoir-Salt-Path-film-Gillian-Anderson-Jason-Isaacs.html

The Daily Mail, The Salt Path secret, 15 July 2025: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14904933/French-property-Salt-Path.html

The Guardian, Simon Armitage to walk south-west coast path, 19 February 2013: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/feb/19/simon-armitage-south-west-coast-poetry

The Independent, The Salt Path one woman’s journey…, 23 August 2018: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/the-salt-path-book-journey-walking-coast-path-cornwall-devon-homelessness-a8502256.html#comments-area

The Observer, The Slow Newscast, The real Salt Path, 29 July 2025: https://observer.co.uk/listen/the-slow-newscast/the-real-salt-path-1

The Observer, We thought: it can’t be the Salt Path couple…, 9 August 2025: https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/we-thought-it-cant-be-the-salt-path-couple-theyd-have-told-us-they-were-homeless

The Observer, all articles in the real Salt Path collection:
https://Observer.co.uk/collections/the-real-salt-path

The Times, The Salt Path scandal: what Raynor Winn’s former neighbours think, 11 July 2025
https://archive.ph/g3sOO

Zoopla, Pen y Maes, Y Ffor, Pwllheli, Gwynedd, LL53 6YA: https://www.zoopla.co.uk/property/uprn/10070273056/

NO POSTS PLEASE NOW UNTIL THE LAST THREAD IS FULL

NO QUOTING THE TIMELINE OR REFERENCE POSTS IN FULL

Thank you

Many thanks to our Timeline Pirate @FurryHappyKittens

Why claim (or mislead) to be doing it for the first time by omission of their 2013 stint?

Because they already knew their book would take the shape it did, and they needed to hide the fact that the walk was broken up into small sections just in case? Like they hid the true reason for the repossession. @azurestaffy is onto something IMO, this was a long-planned operation.

I absolutely HATE thinking the worst of people and will give even the most egregious chancer the benefit of the doubt, so it slightly upsets me to think that these two might have planned much of this. But I do find that I am starting to wonder whether they did? Whether they knew that their chickens were coming home to roost (they had plenty of warning of the repossession after all) and they'd already decided that one of them would start a 'mystery illness'. That ought to get them some money, after all, and then the idea of the book came up afterwards?

I wonder also if they'd thought about some of the other illnesses that are so hard to diagnose, like ME or fybro, but thought that claiming Moth had one of these might raise questions as to how he actually managed the walk, so they settled on something a bit more nebulous, of which most people have never heard. So they could claim it to anyone who asked (most people would agree that it sounds pretty bad, but who's going home to Google it?) and that you can then backpedal on later, if necessary.

What I'm wondering, is why not just say the walk was all done in 2015 rather than 2013? Because you'd think something more recent would work better fr a book.

From the last thread:

This has been bugging me too. The only explanation I can think of is that they did have some money salted away somewhere that they wanted to stay hidden. If they applied for benefits they would have to declare it

The obvious asset to declare would be the French property.

Yes, they could have, by this stage, been living out the lie, maybe even convincing themselves.

I wonder if CH is thinking along the same lines and might be working on this theory? The more that’s coming to light, the more I’m thinking they may have been planning a hell of a lot more than I first thought.

This theory also fits with SW’s MO with the embezzlement. I mentioned on a previous thread that 64k was equivalent back then to over 100k now. Going by the timeline, the maximum time SW worked for the Hemmings was around 8 years. So the embezzlement would be equivalent to someone stealing about £1,000 every month from their employer! That scale of deceit takes planning and manipulation. It’s not a spur of the moment, crazy mind flip because you’re in a desperate situation. It’s calculated, systematic deception.

So tbh, nothing would surprise me now. They could have decided to fake a whole load of stuff to try to get back the sort of lifestyle they wanted. As others have pointed out, neither of them seemed keen to do the 9 to 5, they’re far too special for that. Neither did they want to go on a council waiting list for housing because they’re too special for that. So planning some way of getting easy money was their MO. Ironic, then, that the whole thing became too big and too successful and has backfired on them big time.

It would be an extraordinary deception if it were all premeditated. If so, they must have been in disbelief when the Dr started suggesting CBD and then equally astounded becoming successfully published...these are two key things they had very little control over.

If you have capital of 16k or over, you are not eligible for universal credit/ job seekers/ housing benefit. You can still get PIP. I'm not sure how much the French property was worth at this point. They could also have had savings for all we know.

That was my thinking, that they had savings and weren't actually living on £48 a week as they said. The £48 might have been all that was coming in, but I doubt they were surviving on fudge and noodles. They'd both have got very thin, but they look roughly the same size in all the photos as they are now.

@SereneLilac agreed

I think the problem with them claiming PIP/Carers Allowance would have been that while they are quite rightly given for non "physical" health care and support needs, Timoths as described are "physical" symptoms. It would be hard to square that with being able to undertake gruelling long distance walking. I don't think there is a chance he would have met criteria for award of benefits at that point. Who knows if he has since.

Discussion on Radio 4 right now. Annoyingly the focus is on "why do we enjoy bringing people down" & totally ignoring the embezzlement...

Thanks for the new thread and timeline.

I agree, Radio 4 are useless at times, their last show on this issue focussed on others who'd done the same. They seem unwilling to discuss the actual people involved. I wonder if it's a legal precaution.

I've always suspected this too

Is it on "The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell"?

They are talking puffins now, was it before or another program?

A happy disbelief if they looked into CBD, and saw what a moneyspinner it could be!

Up to that point, they could present Tim with vague symptoms that didn't really suggest anything in particular, and see what happened.

This would fit with a carefully scripted & largely absent Moth. Sent to shops when journos arrive. Ray upset when others interject into the planned narrative. The coast programme with Portillo is interesting in that she slips a bit I think, gets quite grandiose saying no ordinary folk could walk it & they took NO break or pause over steepest ‘Everest’ climb or would have faltered like weaker others, like Portillo himself.

Presumably the canoe couple meticulously planned - & the idea he would return at end unscathed etc worked through.

Yes that's the one, it was in the review of the papers.

They also would have collapsed at some point due to the low nutrient value of what they were eating. There's nothing there to shore up the physical exertions.