The Observer Daily: The real Salt Path

The best of The Observer, from across our newsroom View in browser The real Salt Path The best of The Observer, from across our newsroom Alexi Mostrous • Monday 7 July 2025 Dear friend, The Salt Path is one of the most successful British non-fiction books of recent years. A harrowing tale of a middle-aged couple who walked 630 miles along the South West Coast Path after losing their Welsh farmhouse and receiving a terrible medical diagnosis, the book gained plaudits for its "unflinching honesty" and has sold more than two million copies. Last year it was adapted into a film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. Yet how much of the author Raynor Winn's story is true? In a compelling investigation, Chloe Hadjimatheou reveals allegations of how the blockbuster book was spun from lies and deceit. Raynor and her husband Moth are actually called Sally and Tim Walker. And rather than losing their home as a result of a "bad investment", Sally is accused of stealing tens of thousands of pounds from her employer, before borrowing £100,000 against the couple's house to repay the money she was accused of taking. Chloe's reporting raises questions not only about the couple's honesty, but about the steps taken by the publisher, Penguin, and film producers to verify what they were told. And it asks a broader question too: as readers, can our emotional contract with a book such as The Salt Path survive even when facts underpinning the story prove false? "The enemy of nonsense" – George Orwell Also in The Observer 'Turning food into a weapon of war' It's been six weeks since the launch of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private aid operation intended to replace the UN in Gaza. Since then, among other controversies, Israeli soldiers and armed American contractors have been accused of shooting at crowds of starving people near GHF distribution centres. The UN's human rights office said that in a one-month period until late June, it had recorded over 600 deaths near the distribution points. The Observer can report that US government funds were given to the GHF without the standard internal review – dodging scrutiny. The funding has been criticised as "downright shameful". As Sam Rose, the acting director of UNRWA, asks: "We don't know what that $30m is paying for: is it paying for international mercenaries?" Click here to read more → The long walk to freedom by Tom Gatti        Pious Keku, a former refugee from Ghana, was detained for almost three years between 2010 and 2013. During that time he was moved between sites "10 or 11" times and believes he was held in every detention centre in the UK. His story has been published in Refugee Tales, an anthology pairing established writers such as Ali Smith with "individuals who have direct experience of Britain's policy of indefinite immigration detention" for stories modelled on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Keku tells Tom Gatti: "The impact of detention is still there. On a daily basis, it comes into your mind. It's not something that I can just erase."    Click here to read more → If Labour lacks a compelling story, Starmer is to blame by Andrew Rawnsley       Last week was one to forget for Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and almost anyone inside Downing Street. It laid bare not only the government's weakness in parliament but also the weakness of its messaging within the party. In this week's column, Andrew Rawnsley argues that if ministers are unhappy about Labour not getting the credit they think it deserves, the blame lies at the feet of one person. "It is the prime minister who has the central responsibility for fashioning an attractive vision of the future and conveying it to the country… the buck stops with Sir Keir, not his nextdoor neighbour." Click here to read more → 'Winning London 2012 means more than gold' by Duncan Mackay       A day before the 7/7 bombings in London, the city was awarded the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. London 2012 shaped a generation, with many remembering the Games and their legacies as a true peak of British culture. The bid was led by Sebastian Coe, whose career as a long-distance runner he says now pales in comparison to his work at London 2012. He told Duncan Mackay: "We built a new city inside an old city in seven years. Is anything I've ever done going to match that? I doubt it." Click here to read more → Listen Daily Sensemaker The real Salt Path Penniless and homeless, the Winns found fame and fortune with the story of their 630-mile walk to salvation. We can reveal that the truth behind it is very different.     Click here to listen → Thanks for reading. We'll be back tomorrow.   Alexi Mostrous Head of investigations The Observer Brad Gray Production editor, newsletters The Observer   My Account To manage your newsletters, track tickets and more, go to the 'My account' page on the Observer website: Manage my newsletters Follow Follow The Observer on social media on your preferred platform:   The Observer     The Observer Food Monthly The Observer Magazine The Observer New Review   Listen Listen for free in the Tortoise app or wherever you get your podcasts: Want to change how you receive these emails? Update email preferences Copyright © 2025 Tortoise Media. All rights reserved. Did this email get caught in your spam filter? Add editor@newsroom.tortoisemedia.com to your address book to never miss an email again. No longer want to receive this newsletter? Unsubscribe here.