By Daniel Welsh
The Salt Path 鈥 the hit book series, which was recently turned into a feature-length film 鈥 received a whole lot of attention over the weekend, when questions were raised about the validity of its contents.
While the memoir was marketed as a true story, The Observer published the results of an investigation casting this into doubt on Tuesday.
But what exactly has been said that鈥檚 made the whole thing controversial? Here鈥檚 the story so far in a nutshell鈥
First of all, what is The Salt Path?
The Salt Path began life as a book, by British author Raynor Winn, which was marketed upon its release in 2018 as a memoir.
In The Salt Path, protagonist Ray and her husband Moth are made homeless, right around the time that the latter is diagnosed with a fatal case of the neurodegenerative disease corticobasal degeneration (CBD), having been experiencing symptoms for a number of years which he had put down to arthritis.
After losing their home, the couple decide to travel the 600-mile length of the South West Coast Path, in South West England, on foot, with Winn鈥檚 book diving deep into the themes of homelessness, prejudice and kindness.
Two sequels have since been published with a fourth book in the series reported to be in the pipeline.
Why has The Salt Path suddenly come back into the fore?
While the book The Salt Path was released almost seven years ago, the story received renewed attention earlier this year when it was turned into a film, featuring British actors Gillian Anderson and The White Lotus鈥 Jason Isaacs as its central couple (the cast also included Cold Feet star Hermione Norris and Ted Lasso鈥檚 James Lance).
Initially debuting at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2025, The Salt Path eventually arrived in cinemas at the end of May, receiving mostly positive reviews from critics.
What鈥檚 been alleged about The Salt Path now?
Over the weekend, a piece was published in The Observer, claiming a variety of details outlined in the book aren鈥檛 quite as they appear.
For one thing, Winn鈥檚 book claims that she and her husband lost their home after an investment in a friend鈥檚 business turned sour, resulting in a costly legal battle.
However, The Observer鈥檚 piece alleges that their home was repossessed after Winn reportedly stole tens of thousands of pounds from her employer when she was working as a bookkeeper at an estate agent, resulting in her arrest.
To repay Winn鈥檚 old boss, the couple borrowed money from a relative of Winn鈥檚 husband at an interest rate of 18%.
Meanwhile, The Observer also claims it was Winn鈥檚 husband鈥檚 business that failed, rather than a friend鈥檚 that they invested in, as was written in the book.
Elsewhere in the piece, The Observer speculates about Winn鈥檚 husband鈥檚 CBD, claiming that while the life expectancy of someone diagnosed with the condition is usually between six to eight years, he has now been living with it for 15, and 鈥渄oes not have any visibly acute symptoms鈥.
In her books, Winn suggests that walking appears to have improved her husband鈥檚 condition, while The Observer鈥檚 鈥渘eurologists and researchers鈥 indicate that it is 鈥渘ot possible to dramatically reverse the symptoms of the condition鈥, and that they had 鈥渘ever seen anyone live as long as Tim Walker鈥, the legal name of Winn鈥檚 husband, after a CBD diagnosis.
What has Raynor Winn said about the allegations made about her?
A statement was provided by Raynor Winn鈥檚 lawyers to The Observer, which said: 鈥淭he 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.鈥
The Telegraph also published a lengthier version of this statement, which said: 鈥淸The] Observer article is highly misleading. We are taking legal advice and won鈥檛 be making any further comment at this time.鈥