Bestselling memoir The Salt Path is set to make waves again, as a stunning new film adaptation.
Words: Susie Atkinson
A book that truly resonated with readers, The Salt Path by Raynor Winn became an instant bestseller upon its release in 2018. The heartfelt memoir of loss, survival and resilience captivated booklovers with its raw honesty and poetic descriptions of the South West Coast Path. Now, seven years later, the book is making the leap to the big screen in a highly anticipated film adaptation, due out this spring, starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.
The book begins at one of the lowest points in Raynor and her husband Moth’s lives. Days apart, the couple is blindsided by two devastating blows: a terminal diagnosis for Moth and the loss of their home following a failed legal battle. Faced with homelessness and an uncertain future, they make
an impulsive decision to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path. Armed with little more than a tent, £115 in cash and their shared determination, they embark on a journey that will test their limits and transform their lives.
The South West Coast Path is as much a character as Raynor and Moth. The rugged cliffs, sweeping seascapes and untamed wilderness provide the backdrop for a journey that is as physical as it is emotional.
At its heart, The Salt Path is about resilience – about finding strength in the face of insurmountable odds and rediscovering the essence of home
in the wild seascapes along the path. Raynor’s lyrical prose paints a vivid picture of the coastal landscapes, history, myths and wildlife while offering an unflinching look at the realities of homelessness, illness, and grief. It’s a story of survival but also of renewal, love, and the deep connection between humans and the natural world.
The book spent 85 weeks on the Sunday Times Bestseller List, was shortlisted for a Costa Book Award (Biography), and won the Royal Society
of Literature Christopher Bland Prize.
FROM BOOK TO FILM
Now, with the film adaptation – directed by the award-winning Marianne Elliott – The Salt Path is set to reach an even wider audience. With actors Anderson and Isaacs playing Raynor and Moth, the film promises to bring the memoir’s poignant story to life on screen.
Elliott – best known for her work in theatre (War Horse, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) – has approached the project with meticulous care, ensuring the emotional depth and authenticity of the book are preserved.
A crucial element of the film’s preparation was accurately portraying Moth’s rare neurodegenerative condition, Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD). Elliott worked closely with the PSP Association (PSPA), a UK charity that supports people affected by the disease, to understand its complexities. Through conversations with individuals living with the condition along with their caregivers, she gained valuable insights that shaped the film’s depiction of Moth’s experience. Elliott describes feeling ‘a huge sense of responsibility’ to ensure the portrayal was both sensitive and accurate.
The South West Coast Path is one of the UK’s ultimate challenges for the long-distance hiker – a 630-mile adventure around the coastline of England’s south west peninsula.
Raynor and Moth started the path at Minehead in Somerset and travelled along the dramatic coastline of Exmoor, continuing through North Devon’s rugged shores, and winding into Cornwall, tracing every inch of its impressive coastline. The path then crosses the mouth of the River Tamar, moves into Devon’s softer south coast, and finally traverses the iconic Jurassic Coast of Devon and Dorset before ending at Poole Harbour.
For Raynor and Moth, the coast offered a space to process grief and rediscover hope. The ever-changing sea, with its ability to overwhelm
and heal, mirrored their struggle: unpredictable and vast.
The journey tested them physically as well as emotionally, with its steep ascents, hidden coves, and wild headlands which demanded resilience and resolve to negotiate.
REBUILDING A SENSE OF PURPOSE
As they walked through Cornwall’s remote cliffs, Devon’s sandy stretches, and Dorset’s fossil-rich shores, Raynor wrote about the raw, untamed beauty of a landscape that seemed to strip life back to its essentials.
Her prose captures this intimacy: the seabirds’ cries echoing across the cliffs, the rhythm of steps and tides, and the quiet comfort of knowing that, no matter how lost you feel, the sea will always be there. And it was here, on the edge of land and sea, that Raynor and Moth began to rebuild their sense of purpose.
In the years since The Salt Path was written, Raynor has published two more books, The Wild Silence and Landlines, both exploring her and Moth’s ongoing adventures and their deepening relationship with the natural world. These follow-ups reveal how their extraordinary journey along the South West Coast Path laid the groundwork for a new chapter in their lives: one that was filled with purpose, creativity and a renewed sense of hope.
Whether you’re revisiting the book or discovering the story for the first time, the film promises to be a moving tribute to Raynor and Moth’s journey – and to the rugged beauty of the South West Coast Path itself. As we watch their story unfold on screen, you can’t help but be reminded of
the transformative power of the natural world and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
The Salt Path film was released in UK cinemas on 25 April. The Salt Path book by Raynor Winn is published by Penguin (£10.99). To find out more about Moth’s condition, Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD), visit pspassociation.org.uk.
Exploring the South West Coast Path
If you’d like to explore the South West Coast Path without tackling the whole trail at once, take a look at the options offered by Walkers’ Britain. Prices start at around £860pp for an eight-day self-guided walk, including seven nights’ B&B and transfer of one bag between accommodations. Options range from the Penzance to Mevagissey section (above) to the more challenging Minehead to Westward Ho!. Call 0800 008 7741or visit walkersbritain.co.uk/united-kingdom/england/south-west-coast-path.
For more information on the South West Coast Path, visit southwestcoastpath.org.uk.
All images supplied by the South West Coast Path www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk
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