The Salt Path (The Film)

I have neither read the book not seen the film. What I find amazing, having just read the Observer article is how they thought they could get away with it.

With the amount of deceit, fraud, and criminal behaviour behind their story how did they think they could get all the publicity they caught and sought and not be found out.

They sound like Captain Tom's daughter,Hannah-Ingram-Moore and her husband . Utter frauds.
I thought the financial situation in the book was odd, also that an apparently casual acquaintance offered them a home and work, but accepted it 'because they wouldn't publish it if it wasn't true.' Me, gullible??
I do wonder why the truth has taken so long to come out.

Lathyrus3

At least I didn’t appear to say “I told you so”.

Whoops😬😂

Oh, go on, say it!
If you do I will!!

I wish we'd photo-bombed the shoot now.
Do you think we'd have got paid as extras?

Does anyone remember Charles and Diana Ingram and Tecwen Whittock the Who Wants to be a Millionaire fraudsters?

I wonder how many more con artists there are at large, some of whom will never be exposed?

There are lots but it takes an extra nerve to seek the limelight too like all the ones mentioned!

I always thought that taking such a walk when you have just been diagnosed with such a terrible illness was a bit odd. Now we know that this is a couple who have no morals and have taken a lot of people for a ride. They should be sued for all their money.

Crikey. I don’t feel so bad about disliking her now. It was always obvious that a lot of it was made up because no one would be able to remember that amount of detail. She reminds me of a friend my daughter had. She appeared from nowhere with quite a back story. Had several beautiful horses etc. But every time we started to disbelieve what she said something would validate her story eg she would turn up riding one of the horses. We realised that her lies were good because she actually believed them herself, and I think Raynor Winn is the same. Perhaps she can detach herself from the fictional person she has invented? She is obviously a very good writer. But one of the worst things anyone can do is use a fictional illness to deceive people.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of the woodwork.

Apparently all this came about because Raynor stole from an employer.

However even if they are fraudulent many thousands of us have enjoyed the book and now the film!

I’m sure they will find a way to make amends.

I wonder how Gigspanner and, to a lesser degree Angela Harding will react to this revelation?

When the book first came out a friend bought it, read it and passed it to me saying how wonderful this couple were etc etc. Within the first few chapters I thought theres so much here that doesn’t add up and this couple are clever con merchants I felt sure. But no one else thought so and they rose higher and higher in their fame and tv interviews. But still I did not believe them but as it didn’t matter a jot to me I never gave them another thought. But it seems my distrust of them and their well crafted story was well founded and I’m not just a cynical old dear who begrudges others fame and fortune!

There was something about the first book that made me not warm to Raynor Win - or is it now Sally Wslker - so whilst I enjoyed it for the elements of the journey and the South West and the idea of an epic walk I have hung back from going to see the film.Now I'm glad.And if its all true about the theft and the real reason they lost their house I think it leaves a nasty taste that the books have made them do much money.They are basically dishonest.

I’m sure they will find a way to make amends.

Do theives make amends?

Sago

It will be interesting to see what comes out of the woodwork.

Apparently all this came about because Raynor stole from an employer.

However even if they are fraudulent many thousands of us have enjoyed the book and now the film!

I’m sure they will find a way to make amends.

I’m sure they will find a way to make amends.

Not everyone is as good-natured, Sago!

Anyway, too late for Martin Hemmings, he died in 2012 although his widow is still alive.

Ros Hemmings remembers how deeply her husband was affected by the episode. “It absolutely destroyed him because he was a very trusting, kind person,” she says.

Former staff described Martin, who died in 2012, as a cheerful, warm and generous character.

observer.co.uk/news/national/article/the-real-salt-path-how-the-couple-behind-a-bestseller-left-a-trail-of-debt-and-deceit

It's extraordinarily audacious of them to put themselves out there - on breakfast TV, interviews, red carpet- and not think any of the people from the past who knew the truth would speak up. What did they think was going to happen??

I read the first book and ever since I have not quite bought the story. It was their attitude towards those better off, also sneaking out of the camp site and not paying, stealing food, etc. Also the claim that Moth's health gradually improved just because of walking. We happened to spot them at Par railway station a couple of years ago and you would not think there was anything wrong with him at all, a very strapping, healthy-looking man.

Sago

It will be interesting to see what comes out of the woodwork.

Apparently all this came about because Raynor stole from an employer.

However even if they are fraudulent many thousands of us have enjoyed the book and now the film!

I’m sure they will find a way to make amends.

You are very trusting Sago people like this will find every reason in the world not to repay people. They will dodge and duck and if all else fails, go and live somewhere else, on their plot in France for example or a nice new flat on the Algarve.

I agree with Monica, cheating is their normal so they won’t get what the fuss is about. They will have been scamming all their lives and not had a conscience about it so making amends isn’t something they are likely to do. What they have done should be a criminal offence so when found guilty they will have plenty of time to write their next book from HMP Wherever!

Throughout the first book she (Raynor/Sally) made such a lot of how they had been badly let down, how life was so unfair etc. she sounded pretty convincing too. It niggled at me though because if your husband is genuinely very ill would you drag him off on a massive walk with a flimsy tent and thin sleeping bags and, of course, hardly any money?

Can anybody actually prove they did this walk?

Primrose53

Throughout the first book she (Raynor/Sally) made such a lot of how they had been badly let down, how life was so unfair etc. she sounded pretty convincing too. It niggled at me though because if your husband is genuinely very ill would you drag him off on a massive walk with a flimsy tent and thin sleeping bags and, of course, hardly any money?

Can anybody actually prove they did this walk?

Perhaps the people they stole from or who gave them freebies on the way?

She could have written the book as a work of fiction and stayed anonymous. It would still have sold well. But maybe she needed the back story to get a publisher and then got caught up in the lie. And then, as I said earlier, started to believe it herself? It's all very odd. I often wonder about all the people that get let down when famous people declare themselves bankrupt and then bounce back again leaving a trail of financial carnage behind them.

Today, The Sunday Times has published an article about this couple. It seems they are not quite who they say they are. I myself have no comment myself as I’ve neither read the book or seen the film.

MayBee70

She could have written the book as a work of fiction and stayed anonymous. It would still have sold well. But maybe she needed the back story to get a publisher and then got caught up in the lie. And then, as I said earlier, started to believe it herself? It's all very odd. I often wonder about all the people that get let down when famous people declare themselves bankrupt and then bounce back again leaving a trail of financial carnage behind them.

But maybe she needed the back story to get a publisher and then got caught up in the lie.

No, she was due to be arrested and disappeared. Changed names and scarpered.

I read about them in The Observer. I always thought the story was far fetched but didn’t really they were con artists.

I was musing on how one would choose the name Raynor Winn if you wanted a non-de-plume … rain or wind?

And the more I think about it, how odd to embrace so much publicity. I’d have kept my head well down!

*nom-de-plume