"The Salt Path: A Memoir" Paperback - An Inspiring True Story of Perseverance and Hope, March 5, 2019

L Beck: This is a heart-rending story of a couple who decided late in life to walk the West Cornwall and Devon coastal path because the husband was dying of an incurable brain disease. They decided it might help him or slow down the disease. They did it, together with what must be described as 'wild camping'. The story has humour and sadness, but importantly, it is written in such a way that I could feel every ache and pain of that walk, I could feel the wind, the rain, and the sunshine; I could see and hear the (sometimes eccentric) people they met along the way. To coin an over-used phrase, this is a page turner.

United Kingdom on Oct 01, 2023

neal: It was strange to find more about places I have been to and discover they are all connected, and it's strange to see what thoughts it envokes.

United Kingdom on Sep 29, 2023

Janetlucy: I have questions after reading this marvellous book. Who was the “friend” who led them to lose their home and all their money and how does he live with himself? Who is the judge whose idea of justice is to refuse to admit important evidence and refuse an appeal which means the end of life as Ray and Moth know it and how does HE live with himself? This couple’s story is so unfair and heartbreaking, but the way they try with all their heart and strength to find the good in the catastrophe of their lives makes marvellous reading. Their bravery and wit shine through on every page and despite the often mental and physical agony they go through they turn disaster into a kind of desperate triumph. The razor sharp observations of nature and the people they encounter on their long journey make this book a treat to be savoured. I’m glad it’s a huge best seller and hope this has enabled Ray and Moth to stick two fingers up at everyone who tried to quench their indomitable spirits. Great work Ray - I love you both and feel like I know you.

United Kingdom on Sep 13, 2023

Julie Warmke: Yogi Berra’s joke, when you come to a fork in the road, take it,” makes of this book a Zen koan, as for this daring duo every fork becomes for the reader a spiritual journey.

United States on Sep 07, 2023

Vince Vawter: Not exactly "Doc Martin," but a good read.

United States on Sep 05, 2023

CJ JONES: This is a brave, reflective, challenging read.. we could all be there but would we all be so brave, so full of basic human will? I read through the night with tears salty on my face still I know I'm no salted blackberry yet! If only ...

United States on Aug 03, 2023

Tracy Brown: We’ll, not really because I’m a terrible Walker. Curving spine and arthritic feet have taken their toll, but the clarity this couple found and the resulting ability to accept an unexpected life is something I could use.

This is a great story - painful at first when Ray and Moth lose everything they’ve known in life, and hard as they struggle physically and mentally to complete the trail, but also lovely as they come to the end of the path and begin a new chapter in life. And delightful when they realize just how much they can accomplish.

The story is both tender and ferociously brave. I really learned from their struggles and their unending love for one another.

United States on Jul 10, 2023

Dirty Hands Art Workshop: Allow me to state for the record that what Winn and her husband went through that led them to the path was horrible. There, now for my honest thoughts on the book. It reads like a journal she kept for herself. Hear me out: so much beautiful landscape to detail but I feel her descriptions lacked the details to actually paint the vibrancy of the places they traveled. She nailed the descriptions of hunger and uncleanliness so well but I would have liked to see a similar passion for the places and the long hours spent in the monotony of walking. I hate to say it, I also feel like the booked lacked soul. She touches on feelings, mortality, death, loneliness but I feel like she never truly overturned the stone and became vulnerable to us. SPOILR ALERT: I read to the end to find out Moth’s fate, Winn alluded to in a single line but never a concrete closure. I get the illness was terminal, but what more transpired in between the Path and his ultimate end? How did Winn cope? Or, how is she coping? Moth was such a pivotal person and I was drawn to him. I wanted to feel the pain of reading he had passed or perhaps the joy of knowing he was still giving hell to the trails. Either way,...

United States on Feb 12, 2023

derekt: Here are my thoughts about the Salt Path. It is one of those books that will stay in my memory, not entirely because I want it to. As I read through it I had very mixed feelings and still remain undecided about its overall quality two weeks after completing it. I am not normally a fan of travel books and seldom read them, but now two have come along in the space of a few months: Travels with a Donkey and this, pretty much different in every respect apart from both being well written, So, on the plus side, the quality of writing is high, the extraordinary mix of real-life characters both good and bad engaging. The book, and the walkers mainly, move forward at a steady pace and I rarely got bored. In its more philosophical passaged it raised interesting and ethically difficult issues about travellers and our reactions to them. (For someone who had to endure two or more weeks of Travellers within a metre of our garden gate and who most certainly did not adhere to the code of leaving nothing behind, it is difficult to avoid being prejudiced on the subject.

Although for much of the time I became fully immersed in the story, there were also times when I became detached and...

United Kingdom on Jun 11, 2020

Cornwallgurl: I kept seeing this title in bookshops – knew it was about the SW Coastal path (an experience I would no more volunteer for than have all my teeth drawn out slowly without anaesthetic) and didn’t pursue it. Lockdown reading fever in full flow, and a friend recommended it (we all live in Cornwall) and they had done parts of the path (in small, manageable doses).

So, with a completely open mind, off I went. I wanted to like it, because I always start any book intending to enjoy it. Obviously, we were meant to feel sympathy for the author – and no one would wish homelessness on anyone, and then the double whammy of her husband’s terminal diagnosis from a rare, unpleasant, painful and debilitating disease. Alarm bells started ringing early – how exactly did they manage to be so naïve as to sign up for this wonderful investment opportunity? Clearly, we were supposed to recognise their hippy, bohemian, right-on credentials (does this excuse it?) whilst admiring their ability to restore a remote farm, raise two wonderful children and run a business.

So, when it all went pear shaped and the momentous decision was made, were the normal kind of lists made that you...

United Kingdom on Jun 02, 2020