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.

I think part of it is what made her books 'books for people that don't read'. They are books for people who want to vicariously enjoy the countryside but have very little knowledge of it. Which is why they were convinced by a few mentions of plants and birds, that they were reading a deeply-knowledgeable book about the environment. If you don't know anything about the countryside, someone just mentioning a few birds and some greenery is enough to make you think the writer has experienced it all.

I suspect if OWH really does come out it will be her last ever book. There's only so many ways you can spin what is basically 'going for a walk and not describing it very well.'

Agreed!

Her descriptions of being judged for looking a bit scruffy on walks never made any sense to me

Nor did so many of their supposed interactions with locals

Exactly. Those were the bits that didn’t make sense to me either, less so than Moth’s diagnosis in fact. I could believe in a story where a man and woman were so desperate, that they would embark upon a journey like that, however ill advised under those circumstances. It seemed like a natural reaction following the anger and disbelief of Moth’s diagnosis. The adrenaline fuelled fear that built up while packing up and emptying out their hard worked for home and hiding from the pounding on its door, could well lead to that sort of decision if not in your right mind. Ration and caution would cease to exist for two people who had bound themselves so tightly together that life seemed undesirable without the other (children don’t count). Believing it of them does not mean that I could relate to it, but also I have no idea how I would react in such a hypothetical situation. I’ve never met a couple like this, so perhaps its rarity in my life set me up for the Grift more?
I don’t think the book was ever aimed at that one group of people but more of a wider audience who had invested in Them, the couple. You’re right though @Vroomfondleswaistcoat . As long as the surroundings were described and documented in the book at all, the reality of the journey could ‘sit’ better in the readers’ minds….. and readers will always be forgiving of “first books” written by somebody whose husband (they are told) only has a few months or a year left to live. Every time I look back at this book now, I wince at the writing. I would never ever have bought this book under normal circumstances. Never.

@HatStickBoots 'I would never ever have bought this book under normal circumstances. Never.'

I don't think any justification of the purchase is necessary. No one should ever feel ashamed of their reading material! In fact, I have been tempted on more than one occasion to read TSP (I've only read extracts up to now) and only the fact that I've only got limited reading time and many other books ahead of it in the queue has stopped me.

ETA; I would, of course, only read a charity shop purchase or borrowed copy, that woman is not getting a penny out of me.

I totally agree @Vroomfondleswaistcoat, people bought TSP book in good faith, the readers are not the one's who should be feeling ashamed, Sally Walker should. I don't think Sally still gets it and she probably never will, people felt compassion for her and Moth because of the dreadful situation she portrayed to the readers, many things were overlooked because she was perceived as an ordinary woman writing a book, she was not judged in the same way that a professional writer would have been.

I’d go so far as to say she was never judged on any level at all because she created the illusion of a miracle. If any of it had been true and Moth had died during this period from falling or malnutrition she would have been judged for not adhering to medical advice. I know people read the story and thought it was a stupid thing to do (if they believed it) but because it turned out to be the best thing they could have done, they were applauded. She wasn’t judged for writing that she’d stolen fudge or not bothered to pay a campsite. On that note, there was never any reason not to pay anyone because they were not destitute. She did it because it’s in her nature and she wrote about it because she thought she had the moral high ground.

Hi all, it's amazing to see the Charabanc still rolling a year on. Must have gone the entire SWCP at least twice! I can't even remember my old name now 🤔 Too much cider...(Lilac something? I dunno)

I've been checking the insta periodically and seen her and the bot farm emerging. What a nerve. The daughter's public support really surprised me though, what the hell?

Hi there, I do remember a SereneLilac - is that right? Re: the charabanc, "Yes, all 1,260 miles like going up Everest eight times ...."

It is good that several people have an eye on "the recent developments", we need an early warning system!

That's it! Not so serene these days...

Private Eye Paul Foot award

I think she might pivot to fiction. Cue obvious joke about how everything she’s published to date has been fiction (though the self-published novel less so than the ‘memoirs’, admittedly!)

But while she obviously has ample material for hardbitten crime novels/thrillers about the twisted psychology of stealing from an employer or vulnerable family members, skipping bail, going on the run fuelled by a single sausage sandwich, perpetrating a high-publicity longtime literary-medical scam etc etc, she’s going to alienate her dimwit loyal readership if she comes clean about that stuff, even in the guise of fiction.

There’s never going to be a thriller about a family member seeking to bring down her famous writer/ thief auntie, or a tell-all novel about a writer who, just before she heads on stage at the Hay Festival to universal acclaim, has to hiss ‘Look ill! Use my eyeshadow to put shadows under your eyes!’ to the husband whose fake terminal illness has been the main appeal of her ‘memoirs’.

So her novels would have to involve windswept, devoted couples, purple prose about the sea, and a shy child of nature who is menaced by soft-handed city types.

She's not going to sell enough books though, if she turns to fiction. She's got so used to being Number One Best Seller that I'm not sure she can adapt to bumping along in the midlist. And that's if anyone will publish her - bringing a list of scandals and sharp practices, most publishers will look sideways at her.

Plus there's not really the cachet and the money in writing fiction - because everyone and their dog is publishing books right now, particularly with AI taking off so all you have to do is drop a prompt into ChatGPT and it will write a 'book' for you, which you can self publish. The market is being swamped with it at the moment.

So Sal would have to change her name, find a publisher willing to invest in a dodgy customer who might well not make deadlines and has no USP any more (she can't keep using Moth...) and write outstanding books. Which I don't think she can do.

Can as many people on here watch this so the video gets pushed further up the YouTube algorithm and then more people will see it.

Yes, she did so well. This shows the winner not OC - but a happy photo of her with the other finalists:

The Paul Foot Award | Private Eye

There’s never going to be a thriller about a family member seeking to bring down her famous writer/ thief auntie, or a tell-all novel about a writer who, just before she heads on stage at the Hay Festival to universal acclaim, has to hiss ‘Look ill! Use my eyeshadow to put shadows under your eyes!’ to the husband whose fake terminal illness has been the main appeal of her ‘memoirs’.

There will be if you write it! 😀
If it didn’t cause distress to the people she has lied to and stolen from, it would be the most perfect comedy and begs to be written as such! Could she do her usual strop to ‘her’ legal team? Maybe. But her history and name changes and avoidance and denial not to mention the lies, might make any such accusation a bit pot kettle black?