Sally and Tim Walker, aka Raynor Winn and her husband Moth from the acclaimed ‘true story’ memoir The Salt Path, have now released a statement responding to the viral investigation by The Observer that her award winning book may contain multiple lies and not entirely be the true, life affirming story it made its fame and fortune as. The Salt Path, now adapted into a big film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, has been hit with major accusations after journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou investigated and spoke to people who knew Sally and Tim Walker – with big allegations emerging. Now, The Salt Path author Sally and her husband Tim Walker have released a statement response via their legal team.
It’s getting messy.
What actually happened?
Raynor Winn’s bestselling memoir The Salt Path is facing serious scrutiny after a recent article revealed significant discrepancies between the book’s narrative and historical records. The memoir, which has sold over two million copies, tells the story of Winn and her husband Moth becoming homeless and walking the South West Coast Path after losing their farm. However, new allegations suggest that key parts of the story may not be entirely true.
A major revelation from The Observer involves claims that Winn, whose real name is Sally Walker, allegedly embezzled over £60,000 from a business she was managing – contradicting the book’s account that the couple lost their home due to a bad investment. Records also show that the couple may have retained ownership of a property in France during their supposed homelessness, casting further doubt on the central premise of their journey.
Medical claims in the memoir are also under question. Moth, who was said to be suffering from a rare, degenerative, and typically terminal brain condition called corticobasal degeneration (CBD), has now lived nearly two decades since his diagnosis, far longer than expected. A panel of neurological experts described the case as suspicious and unlikely, with some suggesting misdiagnosis.

Ros Hemmings
The Observer article highlights the story of Ros Hemmings, the wife of Sally Walker’s former employer. Ros says Winn had “been made redundant at a hotel in Abersoch, and it was the same time my husband’s bookkeeper had retired. My husband was a workaholic and he started to wonder ‘why aren’t I making any money?’”
Ros and her husband Martin suspected Sally had embezzled £9000 from the business and when confronted, Sally paid them it all with a cheque.
Ros said “Sally appeared at my house, holding a cheque. She said ‘this is all the money we have, I’ve had to sell some of my mother’s things to raise this money’” Ros and Martin suspected more was missing. “He had to go through all the books of all the years Sally worked for us. She had been creating invoices, she had been signing cheques.”
Sally was arrested and questioned and told to report to the police but vanished. “She’s made a lot of money out of ruining my family’s life.”
Sally and Tim Walker released a statement responding to the article
In a statement via their legal team for The Salt Path article, author Sally and Tim Walker say in a joint statement: “The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives. This is the true story of our journey.”
For more like this and for the latest memes, quizzes, updates – like The Tab on Facebook