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.

But - if we are to believe SalRay - lol - Julie is apparently a counsellor and supposedly asks a lot of questions (LL) so not exactly incurious.
I’m interested in this Julie-as-a-counsellor angle - someone with a mental health qualification has actually been close to SalRay. What a potential mine of info!

Another picture where Moth is sitting in a pose which ought to be quite difficult for someone with muscular/co ordination problems. Why not standing up?

What strikes me about this photo, and I say this as someone who knows nothing about CBD/CBS beyond what I've read on these threads so I'm happy to be educated, is that TW appears to be the only one of the four not walking with a pole.

I strikes me as very odd that the person with mobility difficulties is the one getting up the Icelandic mountain without the need for something to lean on. Or an I missing something?

There’s the issue of “horror” claiming unemployment benefits.
There’s the issue of having to look for work, rather than go for an ill-advised trek around the South West.
There’s the issue of owning land in France. Who knows what capital they had, just because the house was repossessed doesn’t mean they couldn’t have stashed money elsewhere.
There’s the issue of having to pay for their own fudge and camping.

Like with the embezzlement, the fudge, the cider farm, most everything else, they are just going to take it because it’s there for the taking because they deserve it anyway.

Rules and laws are for box-tickers!

Well, as all we are really ever told about Julie is that she is small, tough, and quiet, and all we are ever told about Dave is that he is big, loud and Northern, it’s hard to discern anything real about them. The only questions Julie is ever actually shown asking someone is about a GPS tracker and whether the Walkers are planning to continue after the Pennine Way!

Personally, the only thing that intrigues me about them is that they’re pretty much the only people encountered on the SWCP that SW doesn’t glumwash, and the only ones they seem to have struck up a lasting relationship with. One wonders what it is that either pair found so appealing about the other, especially the Walkers, who have a mania for finding reasons to dislike or disparage other hikers. Of course that’s the reason Dave and Julie appear so bland in their three book appearances, as SW’s writing of character onto seems to come into its own when she’s being disparaging.

OK, two things that struck me from this

the June 2013 N Wales property eviction, then July Gangani Ltd. Co. dissolution

Partway through TSP when there is less cash in the account than expected, this is apparently because they didn't cancel their house insurance direct debit (p107). Oh the irony. But they did take the time and effort, after being made homeless, to dissolve Gangani as a company? Why was that so important to do without delay?

she actually mentions that their little diesel van isn't large enough to sleep in!

This is one of their most obviously bullshit statements. I don't know which Ladybird Book of Vehicles they'd been reading, but a van is bigger than a two person tent, unless it's made by Hot Wheels.

Wasn't Julie described as a campaigner rather than a counsellor? Oh dear, I can see a re read of all three books on the horizon.

A renewal form is sent at the end of the tax year where you confirm your circumstances. However as the pp said, yes, you must report any change of circumstances to HMRC immediately. HMRC states “ ! If you deliberately do not report changes, you’re committing benefit fraud”.
TBF, its easy to see how someone could genuinely believe that they didn’t need to report it until they were sent the yearly renewal pack.

The clue is in the name “working tax credits” if you’re not working any more, then you’re probably not entitled.

The application to dissolve happened in April 2013. From that moment on TW wouldn't be required to do anything. Companies House just takes a while to get through the process of dissolving it.

But the fact they "forgot" to cancel their house insurance is unbelievable IMO. This episode happened in Bude which can be dated to around 27 August 2013. It seems to be a monthy direct debit because they still have £11 in the account (if it were an annual DD or even quarterly, the DD would surely be more than what was in the account). So the previous payment would have been around the 27 July. It seems they started walking on 08 August but TSP tells us they spend two weeks at Tim's brother's, and then a day trip to Glastonbury and another two weeks at Jan's prior to walking, which puts them as homeless around the start of July. They were also in Newquay 21st-23rd July. So why didn't they realise when the money came out on the 27th July? "But we were in despair" might be their excuse but it doesn't cut it for me. They were perfectly able to buy a second hand tent on eBay and plan a walk. Just more made up "drama" to make out they were up against it.

Re the van- a friend has one of these really tiny diesel vans that cleaning companies use. Couldn’t believe it when he said him and his girlfriend were planning to drive to Turkey and sleep in it every night en route. According to him it’s doable, but pretty uncomfortable especially as the front seats wouldn’t fold down flat. I did actually say” but wouldn’t you be more comfortable in a tent?”

Sorry if I’m being slow on the uptake, but I think it does explain it. If he doesn’t actually have a diagnosis, I think it makes sense for the PSPA to have cut ties.

I know, but in the big scheme of things it’s not the worst of their crimes, it could be seen as a genuine mistake. It’s possible they had to pay any overpayments back anyway (if they filled in the next years renewal form truthfully)

That’s a distinctive hat. Any other photos of him in that hat? I haven’t found any. It’s not really a good sun hat and not a cold weather hat either. Did he really carry it in his rucksack for weeks and barely wore it?

I’d not heard of Peppercombe beach so looked it up. It’s near the start not far from Minehead. Given we know the 2013 walking outfit was not the same as the 2014/5 outfit are the red socks and camo shorts the 2013 outfit?

I googled ‘Peppercombe beach driftwood shack’ to see if there were other reports of this shack. It turns out Peppercombe beach is a popular place to make a driftwood shack. There was even a Guardian article about them in March 2015. “Peppercombe is the perfect place for a beach sleep. Make sure you stay above the waterline, on the flattened rocks near the cliffs – checking above that nothing is loose or hanging precariously.”

Given the claim there was a miraculous resurrection of the dead phone just in time to memorialise the shack, is it possible this photo is another example of fleshing out the walk story with interesting add ons like they used their 2015 meeting with the Parsons? They might not even have known about the shack building here when they passed through in 2013 but added it after the walk and a photo of one would be visually appealing.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/mar/21/build-driftwood-den-clovelly-north-devon

You are right. He is also standing on one leg with the other on a rock in two different photos taken that day. He moves and adopts the same pose again. You wouldn’t necessarily expect someone with weakness on one side of his body to pose like that. Two feet on the ground with a pole in his good hand would provide much more stability.

Sorry Fandango52, accidentally quoted your post by mistake, so it didn’t make sense- meant to respond to a post by someone who believed the CBD diagnosis was genuine.

The lake in that photo is Alftavatn (which means Swan Lake). You can just make out the campsite by the lake shore between Sally and Tim. I walked the trail in 2014 and camping there was a highlight of the trip for me. It was the end of the first day of our trek but we did a very long first day - some walkers do what we did in a day in two days.

Here’s a professional photographer’s photo taken from a similar spot
https://www.garethmccormack.com/photos/hiker-looking-over-the-mountains-and-lake-at-alftavatn-from-jokultungur-on-the-laugavegur-hiking-trail-central-highlands-sudhurland-iceland/

I’m amazed it’s just accepted as being ok to publish a book stating you’ve claimed benefits you weren’t entitled to. And stole from small businesses. The signs are all there, weren’t they?

”It’s hardly the worst thing…” is there a canon? I think it’s worse than the fudge theft.

i thought she was described as a counsellor in LL - but was listening to the audiobook which is now back at the library so I can’t check. But thought it was in that context - her being a counsellor - that SalRay says she’d never have counselling because counsellors ask so many questions.

i agree with Featherbeds about the surprising lack of glumwashing and character depiction. From my admittedly rusty memory there are a few other riveting (not really) details about her in TWS. She has dodgy knees so uses poles - she is thoughtful and prepared - packed well - and anticipates Dave’s needs, she is petite…I thought SalRay sounded quite envious of her (that’s what I picked up in her tone of voice in the audiobook). Dave comes off less well - big, gruff, generic Northern, says “like” all the time, eats like a horse.

Any idea when this photo of Raymoth at the start of the SWCP was taken? TW appears beardless.

I am guessing post 2016/TSP as TW's bandanna is a fairly recent (Iceland) fashion accessory.

And Salray has a hat.

More from the Parsons:
In 2015 David and I walked the whole of The South West Coast Path (SWCP) 630miles (1020kms) it took us 69 walking days and was the equivalent of climbing Mt Everest 4 times! On that walk we met many people. One couple were Raynor and Moth Winn. Raynor went on to write a book The Salt Path (we are the Aussie’s on page 187-not all correct) Had we have known they were homeless we would’ve bought them a Full English Breakfast-one each! The book has now been made into a movie which we went to see in Perth as part of the British Film Festival. It was VERY emotional and bought back so many memories of the best thing we have ever done. Film worth seeing but the book is a must read

I've seen this bandana in later (non-SWCP) photos. He wears one very like it when planking on a trig point (not the one mentioned in TSP). Photo since deleted but it's still out there. Also wears in Iceland and other PR photos.

He wore a different bandana in the now deleted standing on a wall near Porlock which looks very much like the one RW wears at Land's End.

In the book I think SalRay gets one pole and is dubious about using it. She writes that Timmoth has 2 poles- I think. I’m away at the moment so can’t check my copy of the book.

[Julie] was described as a counsellor in LL - but was listening to the audiobook which is now back at the library so I can’t check. But thought it was in that context - her being a counsellor - that SalRay says she’d never have counselling because counsellors ask so many questions.

I agree with this. I remember it similarly. Maybe Julie was onto them!? Honestly though I feel bad for D&J, if they’ve been misled like the Hemmings were into thinking they’ve made some nice friends and it turns out they were just being used. That’s really hurtful and upsetting.