Thread 27 : 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 26 IS FULL

Please see the OP of Thread 25 for all the links to The Observer's reporting and podcast series, our threads one to 24 and so on:
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? | Mumsnet

New posters joining us in the genuine spirit of our civil discourse are always welcome. It would be helpful to get the background from some of Investigative Journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou's excellent exposé items before posting. Chloe's podcast series for The Observer 'The Walkers' covers most things:
The Walkers: The real Salt Path | The Observer
Another suggestion:
BBC Sounds - Secrets of the Salt Path - Available Episodes
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, 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. For nearly a year we have done amazingly well together for 26 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.

We are still here after 26,000 posts and fast approaching our one year anniversary together on 6th July 2026, 12 months on from the start of our first thread in response to Our Chloe's somewhat stunning initial exposé. Little did we know what else would come out. Our longevity comes as both a total surprise and a pleasure (mostly!). We've seen charabancers come and go, come back again, delurk and join us for the first time. All are welcome. Threads have both filled up in a day and moved at a more stately pace. Thank you everyone for sharing your time, thoughts, opinions, experience, questions, sleuthing (there's that word!), kindness (there's that other word!) and great humour with me and with each other. As ever, as we embark on our 27th thread riding the community charabanc - this time all holding our brollies and fans aloft for much-needed shade and breeze - keep to the path, no saltiness, eat fudge and drink cider, (but not too much in the current heatwave).

NO POSTS PLEASE UNTIL THREAD 26 IS FULL:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5506717-thread-26-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?

Yes, and I also remember her having a go at the NT in regard to what local's, along the SWCP, thought of their practices. How would she know? I discovered it was one of Sal's paraphrased sections of a paragraph in 500 Mile Walkies. From fact-based local knowledge I think it may be partly a reference, in Mark Wallington, to a ding dong between a local farmer and the NT about the use of the name Bedruthan Steps.

That’s correct yes - and I had never read that book before this year, had never seen it in bookshops or charity shops so had to get a copy from WOB. I was astonished at how much of the style and content had been lifted or copied with the assumption that nobody would know. Thankfully a lot of you did! Even though she credits and references Paddy Dillon throughout, she only touches upon Mark Wallington’s 500 miles at the beginning in particular and even though one of her favourite books (she tells us in TSP) she does not liken their “tramp” episode as being exactly like Mark’s experience, or any of the times when they are confronted by dogs being a nuisance as reminding her of Boogie and the humour of Boogie was a big part of 500 mile Walkies and I’m absolutely sure that the episodes with dogs in TSP was supposed to be humorous even if she managed to suck all that out because being a victim must trump everything else at all costs - except when you’re sitting on a sofa being interviewed in front of an audience.

I do wonder what their conversations as they walked and camped would have really been like. Clearly they weren’t Moth’s swan song or her histrionics as TSP would have us believe.

All we know are three things, as far as I remember:

Warren/Grant remembers them looking a bit lost and dishevelled?

Tadge remembers them lying down on benches with all their gear spread around.

Jo and David Parsons remember having a good chat with a couple who forgot to tell them they were homeless.

ETA: lying down on benches, not lying, I didn't want you to think they weren't telling the truth ...

There are posts on this thread suggesting that great swathes of TSP and also TWS were "lifted" off the internet/guide books/Paddy Dillon's SWCP publication/etc./etc. I agree entirely.
SW after all had the previous experience, whilst working for Martin Hemmings, of "forging" invoices (remember the fictitious payment for work done on a vehicle engine replacement?)
I'm convinced that they were never entirely penniless, nor without their own transport. To give authenticity to the account of the 600 mile journey some visits to coastal locations were no doubt undertaken, plus some "wild camping". No way did they survive on fudge and pot noodles! Also I think that she deliberately researched and found an obscure, little known condition (described in the book as only able to be correctly diagnosed at post mortem! How convenient!) to "inflict" on Moth. Even the medical records released after CH's Observer article seemed suspect to me and proved nothing.
At this present moment in time it would be even easier to produce a story in the style of TSP without leaving home, by means of AI, as all the ingredients are there on the internet. No need to be a genuine nature writer nor an actual long distance walker, AI will do it for you. Simple.

looking at the list of plants she wrote out for the Gigspanner tour made me think of Jackie Morris and Rob McFarlane’s The Lost Words. My daughter and I used to read a lot of Jackie Morris but the child had aged out of them by the time that one came out- I do wonder though whether Sal came across it.
This is from the book’s website (my bold):

“Each lost word is conjured back to importance through Robert’s powerful spells. They are called ‘spells’ rather than poems as they are designed to be spoken (or sung!) out loud in order to summon back these words and creatures into our hearts. Robert explains: "We’ve got more than 50% of species in decline. And names, good names, well used can help us see and they help us care. We find it hard to love what we cannot give a name to. And what we do not love we will not save.”
The book began as a response to the removal of everyday nature words - among them "acorn", "bluebell", "kingfisher" and "wren" - from a widely used children’s dictionary, because those words were not being used enough by children to merit inclusion. But The Lost Words then grew to become a much broader protest at the loss of the natural world around us, as well as a celebration of the creatures and plants with which we share our lives, in all their wonderful, characterful glory."

ETA I have been various cats on this series of threads, including alert, doubtful, and weary 🐈‍⬛

Probably conversations were mostly wondering whether to walk for one more day or to arrange for pick up and to be taken back to wherever they were staying at the time for a good meal, a shower and an avoidance of discussion about how much longer they'd be staying for...

That’s so interesting! I’ve never heard of that. What a brilliant idea but how sad that it was necessary! I hope these books are in schools and referred to often. The words you’ve picked out are very surprising omissions because bluebells and acorns are surely in abundance. Wrens are more difficult to spot but so lovely when you do. Children are so naturally curious about the world they live in, so to not include the names of these things in a dictionary aimed at them seems absurd.

Edit: I thought you must be a regular! Also thank you for pointing out these similarities. As ever, Sal’s content and the presentation of it (overseen and driven by daughter) is all style over substance, like the Instagram rubbish.

I think they must have bickered a lot if they were sofa surfing, contributing nothing and then going on the series of walks. As they are such lazy and entitled people whose rustic alter egos don’t bear much resemblance to the reality, the novelty of ‘going for a walk’ probably wore thin despite all the musings in the book from Raynor as she recalls her youth swept up into Moth’s eco warrior world. I’m sure there would have been some snappy accusations about losing their house and having all their contents put into storage. In TSP I think they said they were having to lose it all but I doubt they did. I agree @UpfromSomerset on everything you say.

Just catching up...great observations about her apparent superficial knowledge of plants and reference-book-like writing about them. I guess she hoped the juicy "pop" of a salted blackberry would be enough of a distraction. So much of her written "observations" about nearly everything are hackneyed.