The Salt Path by Raynor Wynn

In May 2023, I walked the South West Coastal Path from St Ives to Falmouth in Cornwall over two weeks, staying mostly in B&Bs. So, I was interested when the travel agent alerted me to a new movie based on this book. Ray and her husband, Moth, lost their home and their livelihood in the same week Moth was diagnosed with an incurable neurodegenerative disease. Hiding under the stairs as the bailiff was knocking on their door Ray saw a book on the path and was drawn to walking it.

Homeless and with very little resources they commenced walking the path in Minehead, from west to east. Encountering wild weather, often cold, hungry, unwashed and sunburnt, they lived their lives close to nature. In their first year they reached the halfway point when they received an offer of accommodation for the winter. Next year, they travelled to the end of the path near Poole on the English Channel and commenced walking, from east to west, to the midway point to complete their journey.

The constant exercise and exposure to nature helped improve Moth’s health and the loss of their material possessions led them to find the very essence of themselves. Unlike my B&Bs, they lived wild in a flimsy tent. When others learned they were homeless, they were often shunned even though they did not meet the false stereotypical view of mental illness or addiction.

Ray subsequently wrote a second book, The Wild Silence, the subject of an interview at a Writers Festival, in which she talks about her experiences. You can view it here.

I recommend it highly.