Thread 25 : To feel disappointed - and disgusted and vindicated now too - after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film?

[DisappointedReader]

NO POSTS PLEASE UNTIL THREAD 24 IS FULL

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?
Links to threads 18-20 can be found in the OP of Thread 21: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5460943-thread-21-to-feel-disappointed-and-now-disgusted-too-after-reading-this-in-the-observer-about-the-author-and-her-husband-from-the-salt-path-book-and-film?
Thread 22:www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5470952-thread-22-to-feel-disappointed-and-now-disgusted-too-after-reading-this-in-the-observer-about-the-author-and-her-husband-from-the-salt-path-book-and-film?
Thread 23:www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5475246-thread-23-to-feel-disappointed-and-now-disgusted-too-after-reading-this-in-the-observer-about-the-author-and-her-husband-from-the-salt-path-book-and-film?

After 24,000 posts there are still recent, new and up-and-coming things to look out for on the path.
Recent:

• Salt Path: A Very British Scandal, available on Sky Documentaries and NOW TV, 15th December 2025
• ‘Don’t look for the money. I’ve taken it all’: Salt Path author Raynor Winn’s ‘confession’ that she stole from her family | The Observer
• Observer Newsroom: The Real Salt Path Story, Thursday 8th January 2026

New:

• Podcast series (7 episodes) from The Observer's award-winning Investigative Journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou (and including a shoutout to our threads), 13th January 2026: The Walkers: The real Salt Path | The Observer
• The Observer, 18th January 2026: The Salt Path scandal: a hunch, a hint and six months of ... and Publishers agree The Salt Path crossed a line | The Observer
• Ask Me Anything thread MNHQ here: AMA with award winning investigative journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou, Weds 28th Jan, 7-9pm | Mumsnet

Up-and-coming:

• Our Chloe's short video about Raynor Winn/Sally Walker's first book How not to Dal dy Dir - date to be confirmed.
• BBC Podcast - date to be confirmed

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. The Observer's new podcast series The Walkers (link above) covers most things.
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 and ploppers 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. For 7 months we have done amazingly well together for 24 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.

If you are posting about a podcast, please start your post with the episode number you are commenting on, for clarity and to help others avoid spoilers if they wish to do so. Many thanks.

After listening to The Walkers: The real Salt Path podcast episodes from The Observer my thoughts are even more with the Walker/Winns' victims. I also believe that the publishers, agent and prizegivers must now act and be seen to act.

As we enter our quarter century thread riding the community charabanc, as always keep to the path, no saltiness, eat fudge and drink cider.

NO POSTS PLEASE UNTIL THREAD 24 IS FULL Thread 24 : To feel disappointed - and now disgusted and vindicated too - after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film? | Mumsnet

Good evening my fellow posters. @CatsOfDoom I wonder how significant it is that the first rebuttal, on the Raynor Winn website, had someone at Penguin and her literary agent to contact. Whereas following the second rebuttal - there is only a person's name, who could be Sal, her daughter, or someone she employs.

The Epic of the Charabanc Sleuths

Attend, O Muse of Forums vast and wide,
Where avatars in pastel fonts abide;
Where Mumsnet’s sages, armed with tea and wit,
Unravel plots that lesser minds omit.
The Salt Path lies before them, page by page,
A scroll of truth—or cunning author’s stage;
They sniff for clues as hounds upon the moor,
And post their findings thrice, then post once more.
“Observe!” cries one, “her boots are strangely new—
No pilgrim’s sole could shine that shade of blue!”
Another swears the tide came in too fast,
And thus the timeline cannot truly last.
Then forth they sally, in charabanc of green,
A stately beast from nineteen-seventeen;
Its seats are plush, its curtains slightly frayed,
Yet perfect for a literary raid.
They feast on fudge, that noble South West prize,
While cider’s amber truth bedews their eyes;
Each sip inspires sharper, keener sleuth,
Till even sheep are questioned for the truth.
Through lanes they roar, past headlands thick with lore,
Declaring plot holes none had seen before;
Till at the coast, with wind and gulls for choir,
They post their final thoughts—then all retire.
Thus ends the quest, though threads may never die,
For charabancers' watchful gaze still sweeps the sky;
And woe betide the author who would dare
To fudge the facts—when charabancers' minds are there.

Hi @BrandyAndLovage its a very good question and who knows the workings of that woman’s mind! Maybe Penguin and her agent didn’t want to be subject to having to field a deluge of angry (or misguided supportive) readers emailing them so asked to be removed. As you say the website placeholder contact person could be anyone and I think someone here previously pointed out it’s a not very professional gmail address. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was her. I honestly think SW is so pigheaded she thinks she doesn’t need professionals advising her and whatever good advice someone might give her she’ll do her own thing anyway because she she’s so much cleverer than the rest of us mere mortals. That’s my guess.

I'm fairly sure that PRH will have made sure she had legal representation. She may not even have had any say in the matter, even if PRH thought she was guilty as a guilty thing on international Guilt Day, I'm certain they will have retained a legal team for her, even if it's their own in-house one.

I've just seen your epic post, hurrah to you @DisappointedReader, what a noble bunch you make us charabancers sound :)

Not so exciting, I ended up popping into Waterstones today instead of Friday, I couldn't find any copies of TSP, just two copies of Landlines on a table in the walking section, so decided to approach the staff and see what they said. I found a senior staff member, politely asked them if I could talk to them about something related to books, that they could decline to talk with me if it was inappropriate, or if they didn't feel comfortable talking about it, they said they were happy to talk.

As I explained, another staff member joined us, neither of them knew anything about TSP scandal, though they knew about James Frey. They got TSP up on their computer screen and read the blurb, they explained that as long as PRH stand by the book and supply it, they will sell it. I told them about the work that OC had done, they were very interested in the podcasts and revaluations, they said that it all sounded more interesting than TSP book and they were going to take a look.

Along with others I reported TSP to trading standards months ago, I made a complaint of false advertising and emailed PRH, no response from either. The only thing that struck me today, was that I should email the editorial department at PRH, really it is the editors who should be informed if the book contains inaccuracies. I thought it was good that there were only two copies of Landlines in the store and the staff seemingly having no knowledge of TSP, unless they were doing their best straight face :)

Thanks @Freshsocks - you're braver than me, I just turn the books around or put them under something more worthy. Interesting that at the end of TSP the publisher puts:

In some limited cases, the names of people or detail of places or events have been changed to protect the privacy of others.

Whereas the opposite seems to have happened in some cases. In places like the Minack Theatre, Treen campsite, Mullion Cove café - people have been traceable, because they are specific places, and not very nice things have been said.

Yes you have got it right!! 👏🏻🤣👏🏻 Love it!!

I hope it’s okay to join the thread. I’ve been meaning to post for ages but keep needing to catch up! Obviously, basically everything has been covered here and I completely agree its scandalous.
I was really disappointed when I heard on “the rest is entertainment” podcast that this basically hasn’t affected her sales.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-rest-is-entertainment/id1718287198?i=1000745777403

Wow! Epic indeed @DisappointedReader !

@Freshsocks that's amazing of you to do that, I’m so impressed! That’s not quite the reaction I’d have expected from the staff, so perhaps these books haven’t quite had the same impact in various parts of the country. Here, I’m pretty sure she and her books are well known in the book shops because she signed copies in our local and all the secondhand places where I first went looking for her books knew her name and the content. I suppose that’s going to be a standard response, that as long as Penguin stick by her, they will sell the books ☹️👎🏻

@OneOfEachPlease - the more the merrier, it's a good time to join in as we are awaiting a podcast from the BBC and more on Sal's first book HNTDDD.

I know what you mean about Richard Osman saying there was zero impact. On the other hand others have said the sales went to the top again. I asked Chloe this question, at our AMA, and it seems there was a brief spike when her article first came out. Since then the sales of the three books have dropped considerably.

Yes, you would expect that the sales would drop off now. But I think it’s probably depressingly true that she’ll now do a book about this and it’ll sell like hot cakes. Feels very unjust!

It's slightly depressing to hear that booksellers - the very people you would hope were keeping up with what's what in the book world - didn't know anything about the TSP controversy!

I don’t know, sometimes Richard Osman makes some pretty sweeping statements…

Welcome aboard @OneOfEachPlease !
That would be a depressing book indeed. I hope she doesn’t this because her stance so far, is to simply double down on her lies despite evidence to the contrary. “Mistakes were made” is not an admission of guilt for example. If however she decided to opt for the tone of the full confessional as we’ve seen in her personal letter, wouldn’t the lawyers be all over her? There’d be serious repercussions unless Jack Bauer arranges immunity in exchange, but I doubt that. The other tactic is to write a complete misery memoir towards her “haters” that would make the previous books’ glum washing look like Mary Poppins and no admissions of guilt because everything she’s said is true.

Agreed. Even if they don’t know the books or author, they sell them and have to put them out on tables because they had prime position. Surely they were familiar. They sell a lot of merchandise too. I find it hard to believe all that flew under their radars. Secondhand bookshop owners seem to have encyclopaedic knowledge of every book in their shops and are a joy to chat to.

Hello all / hwaet!

Glad you made it @Fandango52 ! 🍫

"Goddamit Chloe!"

Welcome aboard @OneOfEachPlease, that's a great name, it should ensure equal fudge and cider rations :)

You made it @Fandango52, the charabanc is picking up speed and we are all off again. I don't know if I am brave @BrandyAndLovage, the people at Waterstones probably thought I was a bit strange. They really were not familiar with TSP @HatStickBoots, I was surprised because it was such a popular book and as @Vroomfondleswaistcoat said you would expect them to know about it, but I suppose it was a while ago now and I'm not anywhere near the SWCP.

I have just had a look to see if TSP sold better in some areas than others, the overview is saying that TSP was especially popular in the south of England. Also that it sold well through independent bookshops and retailers due to its attractive cover and in areas where walking is more popular. I think it was bought and read by an older demographic of readers as well. If Tim and Sally want to go out and about, they had better go visit Dave and Julie up north and hang out where the youngsters go.

This subtitle error tickled me when watching back some of the documentary...

It's so depressing that after years of thieving, the Walkers are now legitimately rich off the back of their bullshit stories. Business Insider estimated last year that Sally's book sales have made about £9.5million. She'll have made a packet from the film as well. Crime really does pay.

The confession letter talks about Tim becoming more and more depressed over 7 years due to the non-existent investment, which led Sal to steal to "keep the real Tim alive." Surely a significant history of debilitating depression was medically relevant to a neurological assessment? Yet this is another omission in the consultation letter. I mean, i think the reason is that Tim was never suffering depression. But still, I just can't help firing one more inconsistency flare into the night.

Meanwhile, if Tim had begun experiencing mystery shoulder pain in 2007, then why did Sal not lean on this as well in her letter for added weight of victimhood? Probably because that story of Tim's physical health hadn't yet popped into her head, the earliest of which we have is in 2011 when Cooper's associates were asking for the debt to be repaid.

She won’t have earned anywhere near that from book sales, though!

Wait! Don't leave without me! I've been MIA for a few threads but it's good to join you all on the charabanc :) Is there any fudge left?

We saved your share, but it’s a bit squishy.