Thread 18: To feel disappointed after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film?

[DisappointedReader]

Hello all. I've simplified the opening post as I don't think we need to keep reposting all the links, timelines and so on at this stage of proceedings.

The Observer's original exposé: The real Salt Path: how a blockbuster book and film were ...
First thread: To feel disappointed after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film? | Mumsnet
Links to threads 2-16, the other 20 Observer articles and videos to date, Raynor Winn/Sally Walker's statement, our timeline and sources can all be accessed in the OP and first few posts of Thread 17: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5403285-thread-17-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 are welcome. It would be helpful to get the background from at least some of the Observer exposé items 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. Remember, even Hollywood rabbits attract the odd flea. Please do not engage with drive-by scolders 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 17 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.

Now three months in, if these threads could wear slogan t-shirts they would be Mark Twain's often misquoted 'The report of my death was an exaggeration'. Applications in writing from correspondents seeking supply parcels of fudge and cider will be tolerated.

Here we are again
Disappointed as can be
All good pals and jolly good company
Strolling round the path
Happy on a spree
All good pals and jolly good company

Never mind the weather, never mind the rain
Now that we're together, whoops we go again!
Whoops, we go again
La-di-da-di-da, la-di-da-di-dee
All good pals and jolly good company

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

Except he was never diagnosed as terminal and only got a vague and highly uncertain CBS diagnosis in 2015. Ordinarily, a CBS diagnosis might be deemed terminal with accompanying signs and symptoms. But it's clear the consultant can only surmise the closest resembling neurological disorder as a possible cause for what TW tells them and very few "objective" signs. It's all very odd when one considers SW decided to claim TW was in "rapid decline" before going on the walk, two years before any mention of CBS I hasten to add.

I think I'm getting my dates confused - it's the whole 'went for a long and healing walk before there was anything that needed healing' that's mixing me up.

The Observer article by CH was published on Saturday 5th July 2025 and SW posted her rebuttal statement four days later.

I'm a healthcare professional and can confirm that no patient is on speed dial to their consultant. SW would have not received any advice in a matter of days so I think the entire decision to publish the letters was made by SW and TW.

@SimoArmo Which leads me to another curiosity...
The 2025 letter is addressed to "dear colleague" and it's notable also that the redacted recipient address does not list a redacted name for a Dr unlike the two earlier letters. Instead the first line of address is "The Health Centre". This, and the tone and content of the letter, possibly supports what has been suggested many threads ago that this consultation may well have been directly requested by TW for whatever reason...medical "evidence" to show someone perhaps.

The Dear Colleague letter is typed up on 26 February 2025.

I remember Chloe mentioning March 2025 for when The Observer first contacted the Walkers.

The consultant says, near the end of the letter, that there is soon to be a cinema release "a retelling of parts of Mr Walker's story."

The film is released 30 May 2025 in the UK.

But insurance companies will actually do 'due diligence' rather than the lip service of publishing companies

They wouldn't be - just another lie or twisting the truth from the scammers that are the WalkerWinns.

NHS consultants are very busy and wouldn't get involved in a patient's personal life.

All the publisher needed to do was ask to see the medical letters to confirm that TW had been given a diagnosis as claimed, it was that simple. Salray makes a big thing about having to show these medical letters in the rebuttal, no one should have to do this. Then goes on to say how Moths health has been carefully documented by herself in the books, even his bowel habits. I mean his health has hardly been a private matter.

I agree @SimoArmo the consultant does work for the NHS and is answerable to someone. I know what you are saying@AgitatedGoose it sometimes takes a while for consultants to reply. I don't know if they spoke to the consultant or not, I said in an earlier post, that I think Salray worded it in that way, to imply support from the neurologist, but even if in this instance he was not consulted, he has been supporting them.

It seems to me that they have built a relationship with this neurologist, I think he has got caught up in the literary glamour of it all, he is obviously a very clever person, but has he got the street smarts to deal with Raymoth? I can't totally agree about consultants not ever getting involved, I agree@AzureStaffy that usually they don't, but my DD has one consultant who has shown kindness above and beyond, I can email them directly and ask for advice (about her health, not rebuttals :) but they are an exception, I really think they have sucked this neurologist in.

I was pleased to hear @Aussiebornandbred that the Parson's are well and happy. It is horrible that they were treated so badly by Salray, it has been speculated that she stole aspects of their story.

Functional Neurological Disorder? Pretty nasty but not usually terminal.

evening all and glad you're all still posting. I've been somewhat absent owing to Work Stuff - nothing bad, just flat out, but I've been reading along and nodding along with the rest of you. The Beowulf spoofs made me snort with laughter and get weird looks on the train. @Uricon2 sorry to hear of your continued health issues and sending you positive vibes for further improvements.

I'm erring on the side of 'on the advice of his neurologist' being the usual EB we see from Wor Sal. As has been said, I v much doubt whoever wrote that letter said enthusiastically 'ooh yes, publish that letter, that'll show 'em' because as we've all seen, the letter says nothing of the sort. I'd also be willing to bet that the charity had been starting to have doubts for some while about whether TW really had CBD given his longevity and continued relative good health. No wonder they backed away sharpish as soon as they could.

Am v much looking forward to the Dec documentary. And we usually take out a month's Now TV subscription when there's enough stuff built up on Sky that we want to see, bingewatch it, and then switch it off again. I've no idea how their business model works, but I'm not complaining unlike Wor Sal

Am v much looking forward to the Dec documentary
I wonder if CH will drop any hints at the Dulverton talk

Is anyone going to the Dulverton talk? I think people on here were considering it but have lost track now about whether anyone was able to be there.

Our most likely candidate was @WorthySloth but don't know if they will be going.

An article about the Somerset/N Devon section of the SWCP and TSP which appeared a few weeks ago in the FT.

The author makes the point that Americans are very rarely encountered on TSP yet figure frequently in TSP ( bus to Minehead, section towards Porlock Weir, old lady near Lamorna Cove etc)

Postcard from Devon: the Salt Path in a weekend

Ooh I’d forgotten about that. Let’s have a look at the dates again 😊

It’s still a possibility but I am waiting on a friend to confirm when I can see her that week. I’ll stick it in my diary anyway and check again a bit closer to the date.

btw how is it November tomorrow? 😱

I don't know how November has crept up on us @WorthySloth I hope you will be able to attend the Dulverton talk, or get to have a nice time with your friend if not :) glad to see you @Tealeaf3 and@TonstantWeader. I'm imagining your fellow travelers wondering what on earth you were laughing about @TonstantWeader I was amused by @Vroomfondleswaistcoat post, it is confusing that they went for a long healing walk before there was anything that needed healing.

I have been thinking about this relationship the WW's have with this consultant, if it is the same consultant that has been seeing Tim throughout. They have continued to visit this consultant despite moving from the area, perhaps they didn't want to move and risk further investigations and a change in the diagnosis, as this one suited them.

Many posters have commented on their own health issues, saying they would have been seeking a second opinion when their symptoms did not match the diagnosis given. Both @AzureStaffy and @AgitatedGoose know that as a general rule, NHS consultants are busy people with many responsibilities and as a rule do not get involved, we also know that in some rare instances they will take more of an interest in a patient.

Many times in these threads it has been stated that Tim Walker is incredibly charismatic, he has been described as charming and personable. He charmed Bill Coles and Jason Isaacs along with many others, it is perfectly possible he charmed the consultant as well. With the release of the book they became minor celebrities and unfortunately these people are often treated differently to the rest of us.

I'm sure Christopher Biggins NHS consultant is more responsive to him than plain old Joe Blogs, it is human nature. Consultant's are just people at the end of the day, maybe he thought the WW's were doing a great job of highlighting CBD/CBS. For whatever reason, Tim Walker does not seem to have been investigated for another condition, despite his symptoms not progressing in the way they would have been expected to, especially as it has been so long since diagnosis, that in itself is unusual if you are under someone who is supposed to be a specialist.

Your last sentence is what I've been harping on about. EITHER TW has CBD or a CBD-like illness, in which case I would have thought that consultants would have had him in for further investigation as to why his illness is behaving in such an atypical way - is he doing something or eating something (clearly walking and fudge bars) that are affecting the progression of his illness and which might work for others?

OR TW does NOT have CBD or a CBD-like illness, in which case why is a consultant not trying to work out what he does have, in case there might be treatments that could be effective in stopping progression of symptoms? Or even just out of pure intellectual curiosity - what is this illness that causes these symptoms but which can be helped through extreme exercise? Could this information be used to help others?

Because, as it stands, everyone medical seems to have just shrugged and said 'I dunno, mystery innit?' Which allowed SW to keep up the CBD-pretence for so long.

I do understand what you have been saying @Vroomfondleswaistcoat I have been caught up in wanting it to be seen that Tim Walker had not been diagnosed with CBD/CBS in 2013, it seemed like so many people believed he was, because that is what Salray wrote. I was less concerned about what he was actually suffering from, I wanted people to realised that whatever it was, he wasn't diagnosed with it when Salray said he was.

I was reluctant to speculate, thinking people will definitely think me a meanie, when he is a man suffering from something and as someone pointed out way, way back we should always have compassion for those who are unwell. But as you have pointed out previously @Vroomfondleswaistcoat after being given a diagnosis and then it not progressing in the way that the condition should, a person would be asking questions and wanting a second opinion.

As you point out the medics should have been wanting to study Tim, if they truly believed he had CBD/CBS. I suspect, because Tim was under a respected neurologist, it was not questioned. I really think the consultant who wrote that 2015 diagnosis could have stopped all this, if they had challenged the portrayal presented by Salray in her first book, they could have stopped the subsequent books and film.

I am talking about the neurologist challenging Sal and Tim, getting them in for a consultation and discussing with them, both of them, this would not have broken any confidentiality (please don't scold me @PrettyDamnCosmic :) I don't believe the consultant would not have known about the book, Sal went to all Tim's consultations, the consultant would be familiar with her too.

But we don't know that other tests / alternative diagnoses / observations haven't been done because we only have SW's narrative to go on. I have noticed that in podcasts and interviews from June (Career Interrupted and Muddy Stilletos) she was still saying CBD and not CBS or anything else and nothing about atypical versions. I know that if I was the doting wife that she claims to be, I would be pushing for a second diagnosis in the hope that there was a treatment that could help him, if it was not CBD.
Where, as discussed before, the Consultants would stand on this, who knows.

I don't think Salray pushed for any other diagnosis @RainyTuesdaysAndSunnyWednesdays because this one suited their purpose, Salray probably knows that he is not suffering with CBD/CBS, it is Salray that built it into a terminal diagnosis, exploiting it as much as possible, then claiming that his not following the usual progression was as the result of their extreme walking.

It upsets me, to think of the people who have CBD/CBS, how hurtful this is to them, I would like the neurological unit responsible for the WW's to make some kind of statement, to refute the claim that walking in nature can reverse the symptoms of CBD/CBS. As @Vroomfondleswaistcoat says, if they believe he is suffering from CBD/CBS then get him in and test him, if not then they need to have a look at him to find out what he is suffering from. These health claims Salray makes are not proven, I don't know how she has been allowed to get away with this for so long.

@Freshsocks I don't know how she has been allowed to get away with this for so long.

Definitely because we have all been held to a collective emotional blackmail over the health issue.

And also because: Everyone wants a slice of the pie

Something that I've noticed, as we've worked through many different aspects of this controversy, is (what I've decided to call): slice of the pie-ism.

I'm not making a judgement against some of these occurences - just presenting what keeps cropping up. There is a willingness to skip over, what seem obvious flaws, to get the best for some other cause.

We did not think she added anything to the Gigspanner gigs but they wanted to tour with their Big Band so she gave them a higher profile.

She blatantly lies in the Muddy Stilettos Cornwall meeting. But would I have said anything ... no.... because it was in aid of PSPA.

Someone was clever enough to spot that even though Bill Cole was miffed with them, for the Rick Stein misrepresentation, he still used their names to advertise his cider.

I am sure there are other examples big and small of this because everyone deserves a slice of the pie. Don't they?

Just reread your post @RainyTuesdaysAndSunnyWednesdays, I'm sorry I missed your first part of your post, on first reading, we don't know if further investigations have been done.

What is even more surprising is that there are only 3 letters from the neurologist that we know of and the last one talks of a consultation by Zoom. 3 letters in 10 years about CBD where the average life expectancy is 6-8 years and it's been 20 years that Moth has apparently had the condition. 3 consultations in 10 years????

Completely agree with your post @BeguiledBrandy, regarding all the people who have profited from Raymoth, got added exposure, made money, attracted tourists and donors. The list of those sharing the pie, in whatever way, is very big, when you sit down and think about it.

I agree @izzywizzyletsgetbizzywynthomas for the length of time there seems to have been few consultations.

In TWS she says "We still travelled north to see the same consultant, a journey every six months that led us back to Wales" (chaper 12).