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The Salt Path

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The Salt Path

By: Raynor Winn
Narrated by: Raynor Winn
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The uplifting true story of the couple who lost everything and embarked on a journey of salvation across the South West coastline.

OVER 2 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

INCLUDED IN THE SUNDAY TIMES 2024 LIST OF 'THE TOP 100 BOOKS OF THE PAST FIFTY YEARS'


Just days after Raynor Winn learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, their home is taken away and they lose their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path.

Carrying only the essentials for survival on their backs, they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky. Yet through every step, their walk becomes a remarkable journey. The Salt Path is an honest and life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief and the healing power of the natural world.

Read by author Raynor Winn, this deeply felt, personal tale is a beacon of universal strength.

'A beautiful, thoughtful, lyrical story of homelessness, human strength and endurance' Guardian

'The landscape is magical: shape-shifting seas and smugglers' coves; myriads of sea birds and mauve skies. It's a tale of triumph: of hope over despair; of love over everything' Sunday Times

'An astonishing narrative of two people dragging themselves from the depths of despair along some of the most dramatic landscapes in the country and ultimately finding themselves' Independent

'Luminescent. A literary phenomenon' Mail on Sunday
Sunday Times bestseller, September 2023
Raynor Winn's books have sold over two million copies across all formats and languages, March 2025

© Raynor Winn 2018 (P) Penguin Audio 2019

 Europe Grief & Loss Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Personal Development Poverty & Homelessness Relationships Science Social Sciences Women's Voices Western Europe Inspiring Heartfelt Funny Feel-Good

Critic reviews

A beautiful, thoughtful, lyrical story of homelessness, human strength and endurance
An astonishing narrative of two people dragging themselves from the depths of despair along some of the most dramatic landscapes in the country, looking for a solution to their problems and ultimately finding themselves.
A gem of a book
This is what you need to read right now to muster hope and resilience. A beautiful story and a reminder that humans can endure adversity
Ray's account of their incredible journey is a tale of triumph, of hope over despair
The landscape is magical, shape-shifting seas and smugglers' coves; myriad sea birds and mauve skies . . . It's a tale of triumph: of hope over despair; of love over everything . . . home was no longer about bricks and mortar. It was a state of mind
An inspirational nature memoir for fans of H is for Hawk about losing everything and finding yourself between the elements of sea and sky
The Salt Path is a life-affirming tale of enduring love that smells of the sea and tastes of a rich life. With beautiful, immersive writing, it is a story heart-achingly and beautifully told.
The most inspirational book of this year . . . In some ways The Salt Path reads like the ultimate drop-out odyssey, except that this journey isn't a life choice . . . What the book chiefly conveys is the human capacity for endurance and the regenerative power of nature . . . The Salt Path also serves as a reminder that Britain is a land criss-crossed by footpaths and that we take this 140,000-mile national glory for granted at our peril . . . The Salt Path has reminded me to scrape last year's mud from my walking boots and get rambling again. I hope it has the same impact on millions of others.
Moving and beautifully evocative
All stars
Most relevant
Wanted to return this as narrators voice is the most grating and irritating I’ve ever heard, such a pity as heard story is really good

Awful annoying voice

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You have to listen to this book!

this book really makes you think about the homeless population in the uk and how homelessness can strike when you're least expecting!

hearing about Moths degenerative disease also makes you realise you should never take life for granted.

I'm 22 and I'm now at that stage in my life where I have no idea of what I want to do, but I feel a pressure to discover what I love doing and persue it.

I started walking the Southwest Coast Path last summer and I've covered about 50 miles from Minehead to Croyde.

I would recommend anyone who is looking to test and prove to themselves they can do something and see it all the way through to walk the path!

this book has inspired me to get back on the path in spring and just walk for as long as I physically can.

Raynor has really managed to explain the sense of freedom you get from the path, which is what I really struggle to do when talking to friends and family!

If this book doesn't make you feel like you want to do something spontaneous I don't know what will!

amazingly inspirational!

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One of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to. Didn't want it to end.

went way beyond my expectations

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Found it hard to believe at first, that so much money could be lost in litigation yet proper professional advice was not sought by intelligent people. Nearly gave up on it as too improbable, too sentimental, but grew to enjoy it and finished it with pleasure.
Author narrates her own book. Voice annoying at first with its minor speech impediment, and I wished she had studied phonetics so that accents could have been attempted, and vocal range control so that deepening or lightening of tone could identify characters instantly. In some exchanges it was not immediately apparent who the speaker was. But the monotony became a feature eventually and fitted well enough. Spend a bit of money on a professional reader next time?

Mixed Feelings

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i enjoyed this but was very disappointed to hear on the news its not a true story so mostly ficyion perhaps they did walk the path but dont believe they were so poor certainly not now its a fil.

Is it true or

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