Left to right: The Forgotten Girls by Monica Potts; Educated by Tara Westover; The Salt Path by Raynor Winn; Birdgirl by Mya-Rose Craig; That Peckham Boy by Kenny Imafidon

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What to read next

Extraordinary stories from ordinary people

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Features

Penguin authors pick their favourite books of 2021

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The best quotes from authors in 2021

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Interviews

Where the Salt Path led next

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Nomadland: a reading list for the Oscar-winning film

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How the coastal cliffs became our home on The Salt Path

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Extracts

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

The Sunday Times Bestseller from the Million-Copy Bestselling Author of The Salt Path

The Wild Silence

Nature holds the answers for Raynor and her husband Moth. After walking 630 homeless miles along The Salt Path, living on the windswept and wild English coastline; the cliffs, the sky and the chalky earth now feel like their home. 
 
Moth has a terminal diagnosis, but against all medical odds, he seems revitalised in nature. Together on the wild coastal path, with their feet firmly rooted outdoors, they discover that anything is possible. 
 
Now life beyond the Salt Path awaits and they come back to four walls, but the sense of home is illusive and returning to normality is proving difficult - until an incredible gesture by someone who reads their story changes everything. 
 
A chance to breathe life back into a beautiful farmhouse nestled deep in the Cornish hills; rewilding the land and returning nature to its hedgerows, becomes their saving grace and their new path to follow. 
 
The Wild Silence is a story of hope triumphing over despair, of lifelong love prevailing over everything. It is a luminous account of the human spirit's instinctive connection to nature, and how vital it is for us all.

The incredible Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller from the million-copy bestselling author of the phenomenon and­ 80-week Sunday Times bestselling The Salt Path 
 
'Beautiful, a thrill to read . . . you feel the world is a better place because Raynor and Moth are in it' The Times 
 
'Winn's writing transforms her surroundings and her spirits, her joy coming across clearly in her shimmering prose' i 
 
 'A beautiful, luminous and magical piece of writing' Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry 
 _______ 
 
 'It was the land, the earth, the deep humming background to my very being' 
 
 In 2016, days before they were unjustly evicted from their home, Raynor Winn was told her husband Moth was dying. 
 
Instead of giving up they embarked on a life-changing journey: walking the 630-mile South West Coast Path, living by their wits, determination and love of nature. 
 
But all journeys must end and when the couple return to civilisation they find that four walls feel like a prison, cutting them off from the sea and sky that sustained them - that had saved Moth's life. 
 
So when the chance to rewild an old Cornish farm comes their way, they grasp it, hoping they'll not only reconnect with the natural world but also find themselves once again on its healing path . . . 
_______ 
 
'Confirms Raynor as a natural and extremely talented writer with an incredible way with words. This book gives us all what we wanted to know at the end of The Salt Path which is what happened next. So moving, it made me cry . . . repeatedly' Sophie Raworth, BBC 
 
'Brilliant, powerful and touching . . . will connect with anyone who has triumphed over adversity' Stephen Moss, author and naturalist 
 
'Unflinching . . . There is a luminous conviction to the prose' Observer 
 
'Notions of home are poignantly explored . . . wonderful' Guardian 
 
LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE 2021 
 
**Nominated for the Holyer an Gof Memoir Award** 
 
 Praise for The Salt Path 
 
 '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' Independent 
 
 'This is what you need right now to muster hope and resilience . . . a beautiful story and a reminder that humans can endure adversity' Stylist 
 
 'The landscape is magical: shapeshifting seas and smugglers' coves; myriads of sea birds and mauve skies. Raynor writes exquisitely . . . it's a tale of triumph; of hope over despair, of love over everything' The Sunday Times 
 
 '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' Jackie Morris, illustrator of The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane

Heartening and comforting . . . The nature writing is beautiful and it is a thrill to read. You feel the world is a better place because Raynor and Moth are in it

Raynor Winn has written a brilliant, powerful and touching account of her life before and after The Salt Path, which, like her astonishing debut, will connect with anyone who has triumphed over adversity

A beautiful, luminous and magical piece of writing

Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Written in wise, unflinching, exquisite prose, this is a different kind of journey - into the past, into grief and also into Winn's search for connection. A spiritual journey instead of a physical one, and, for me at least, an even richer one

Rachel Joyce, author of Miss Benson's Beetle

Deeply personal and spiritual in its exploration of the healing qualities of nature . . . Winn's writing transforms her surroundings and her spirits, her joy coming across clearly in her shimmering prose

In this unflinching sequel to The Salt Path, nature provides solace against forebodings of mortality . . . there is a luminous conviction to the prose

To follow Raynor Winn on her songline back to Cornwall is to know how it feels to walk yourself into the land you love and find peace at the end of the journey

Brian Jackman, travel journalist for The Sunday Times

Winn's soul-baring honesty and beautifully remembered, touching conversations will take your breath away

Notions of home are poignantly explored . . . Her evocations of weather, landscape, the sea and her love for her partner, Moth, who has an incurable neurodegenerative condition, are wonderful

Full of descriptions of dramatic landscapes that make the reader long for the great outdoors . . . an uplifting and illuminating book

Heart-rending. A love letter to the natural world in all its wondrous glory . . . spellbinding

Explores the challenge of returning to mainstream life after homelessness

The Wild Silence confirms Raynor as a natural and extremely talented writer with an incredible way with words. This book gives us all what we wanted to know at the end of The Salt Path which is what happened next. So moving, it made me cry . . . repeatedly

This book promises to take you away with the same amazing descriptive and emotive writing found in The Salt Path

David Atherton, Great British Bake Off Winner 2019

Profoundly moving and emotionally transcendent reading

Unflinching . . . Another beautifully poignant read about triumph over adversity, and adjusting to life after immense change

Intimate in feel and ambitious in scope . . . Throughout it all [Winn] retains her faith in the importance of having an almost visceral connection to the land

This sequel sees the pair trying unsatisfactorily to readjust to normal life before finding ways to reharness nature's healing power

Moving. A must-read for anyone inspired by The Salt Path . . . another thoughtful memoir

The quality of Winn's writing draws us through the story with the same emotional honesty, lyricism and warmth that epitomises The Salt Path

A poignant and passionate, grounded yet uplifting journey of discovery in which we learn what can be found after all seems lost, The Wild Silence is a testament to the transformative power of nature and the fresh hope it nurtures within ourselves

Picks up the story where Winn's astonishing The Salt Path left off

Wise, unflinching, exquisite prose

Raynor Winn's story has become the stuff of legend

Writing with such honesty is a trademark of [Winn's] style

'9 new books to read this September'

Down to earth yet astonishing . . . touching

Since travelling the South West Coastal Path, Raynor Winn has become a regular long-distance walker and writes about nature, homelessness and wild camping. She lives in Cornwall. This is her first book.

The 85-Week Sunday Times Bestseller from the Million-Copy Bestselling Author

The Salt Path

The story of the couple who lost everything and embarked on a journey, not of escape, but salvation. 
 
Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, the couple lose their home and 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, from Somerset to Dorset via Devon and Cornwall. 
 
They have almost no money for food or shelter and must carry only the essentials for survival on their backs as they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky. Yet through every step, every encounter, and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey. 
 
The Salt Path is an unflinchingly honest, inspiring and life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief and the healing power of the natural world. Ultimately, it is a portrayal of home, and how it can be lost, rebuilt and rediscovered in the most unexpected ways.

Bring nature into your home with the inspiring true story of hope and the healing powers of the natural world, in one of the most talked about books of the decade 
 
FROM THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR 
 
'This is what you need right now to muster hope and resilience . . . a beautiful story and a reminder that humans can endure adversity' Stylist 
 
'A beautiful book, it really lives up to the hype . . . an enjoyable, gentle yet moving read' Pandora Sykes on The High Low 
_________ 
 
Just days after Raynor 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, from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and Cornwall. 
 
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, every encounter and every test along the way, 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. Ultimately, it is a portrayal of home, and how it can be lost, rebuilt and rediscovered in the most unexpected ways. 
_________ 
 
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY LITERATURE CHRISTOPHER BLAND PRIZE &amp; SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD &amp; WAINWRIGHT GOLDEN BEER BOOK PRIZE 2018 
 
GUARDIAN BEST BOOKS OF SUMMER 
 
'A beautiful, thoughtful, lyrical story of homelessness, human strength and endurance' Guardian 
 
'Mesmerising. It is one of the most uplifting, inspiring books that I've ever read' i 
 
'The most inspirational book of this year' The Times 
 
'Luminescent. A literary phenomenon' Mail on Sunday

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.

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.

Jackie Morris, illustrator of The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane

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.

A remarkable and redemptive journey

This beautiful, meditative book should give us all a sense of our possible braveries: offering us an answer to the "what if?" questions - "what if we lost absolutely everything, what would we do?" . . . An extraordinary testament to love, hope and resilience.

Greg Wise, actor and co-author of Not That Kind of Love

A fabulous read, inspiring and life-affirming. If you're not already walking the coastal path, this book will make you want to set-off immediately. It is a hymn to the power of love, sear-air and the natural beauty of Cornwall to heal and nurture. It's an absolute joy

What an absolutely glorious and moving book. It deserves all its praise!

Vybarr Cregan-Reid, author of Footnotes and Primate Change

A triumph of love and hope and giving oneself up to the healing power of nature. Beautifully written with vivid imagery, what a heart-warming and glorious read

You lost me a whole night's work. This is a great read.

A beautiful ode to how nature can soothe and inspire hope with every step . . . this book is really special

Mesmerising. It is one of the most uplifting, inspiring books that I've ever read

Filled with wry humour, this is a wonderfully uplifting and touching book

This is a wonderful, heart-gladdening, life-affirming read. It will make you want to walk. What a gem.

Kate Riordan, author of The Girl in the Photograph

Luminescent. A literary phenomenon

The Salt Path broke my heart and put it back together again over and over. Beautiful writing, and such a sharp eye - both for nature and for people. It's hopeful and sad and honest and I LOVED it.

Maggie Harcourt, author of Unconventional and The Last Summer of Us

Harnesses the wildness of rock, sky and coastal walking in life-affirming prose

Radiant, soaring, heartstring-tugging

A remarkable account of the healing power of landscape and the resilience of the human spirit. I felt the rain on my face and heard the waves pounding on the sand.

The Salt Path pummelled me like Atlantic winds. It carried me along on a rain-soaked, sun-burnt, despair-infused, hope-driven walk. The writing is at times raw, poetic, funny, shocking. It is consistently honest, vulnerable, clear. I finished the book reminded of the importance of really hearing people's stories, of the healing power of the natural world, and of our individual and collective now.

A thoughtful, lyrical story of homelessness, strength and endurance

By turns inspirational and horrifying . . . [Winn] writes with a detail and a joy that tugs at the reader, lifting this beyond a mere travel memoir and all the privations and hardship to be something truly meaningful

Beautiful, sad, erudite and uplifting

Vivid . . .This is a book essentially about hope, but also about sheer gritty determination not to give in, to survive extreme discomfort, danger and sometimes disillusionment

It's a heart-warming, heart-wrenching story, told by Raynor in vivid yet plain prose. There are so many wonderful passages

Raynor's writing is beautiful. It's a heart-wrenching read at times, but you won't be able to put it down

We walk with Ray and Moth every step of the way, sharing the hunger, exhaustion, blazing heat and freezing rain in an account that is both lyrical and inspirational

Guardian, Top 10 books about walking in Britain

An extraordinary memoir - moving, funny and uplifting

An inspirational and lyrically observed memoir on the regenerative power of walking in nature, as well as a reminder that material things are much less important than we sometimes think. If you love the landscape of the British coastline and are drawn to the philosophies of mindfulness and minimalism, this is a moving and reflective book to read during a break from your everyday life

Raynor Winn's glorious memoir tells the real-life story of her hike along the South West Coast Path, which she embarked upon with her husband after they lost their home. It's raw yet uplifting - and guaranteed to inspire your next adventure

A thoughtful reflection on ageing and infirmity, home and homelessness, hope and survival

A life-affirming story that examines grief and the power of nature

Poignant . . . It's far from a book without hope, and you'll be with Raynor and Moth every step of their walk along the South West Coast Path

A heart-wrenching, inspiring tale of one couple's enduring love for each other in the face of calamity and of their accidental odyssey along England's South West Coast Path

A love story of resilience and optimism, brimming with heart and humanity

A gripping domestic disaster story turned celebration of survival

A true story of hope in a dire situation

Raynor Winn

The No 1 Sunday Times bestseller about a thousand-mile journey across Britain from the author of The Salt Path

THE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SALT PATH AND THE WILD SILENCE FOR ALL ARMCHAIR TRAVELLERS . . . 
 
Join Raynor and Moth on their remarkable 1000-mile walk from Scotland to the South West Coast Path in this powerful account of our country's land, and the people that make it 
 
'An inspirational story of love and endurance' TELEGRAPH 
'Another heartwarming odyssey, this time on one of the wildest walks in Britain' GUARDIAN 
'Raynor Winn has done it again. An inspiration' ISABELLA TREE 
'A tale of remarkable resilience and nature writing at its best' i 
 
Some people live to walk. Raynor and Moth walk to live . . . 
_____________ 
 
Raynor knows that her husband Moth's health is declining, getting worse by the day. She knows of only one cure: the healing power of walking. 
 
Embarking on a journey across the Cape Wrath Trail, over 200 miles of gruelling terrain through Scotland's remotest mountains and lochs, Raynor and Moth look to an uncertain future. Fearing that miracles don't often repeat themselves. 
 
But for all the physical struggle, there is healing. And so when their journey ends, they do what they know best: they keep walking . . . 
 
Their journey began in fear. But can it end in hope? 
 
From the glens of Scotland to the familiar shores of the South West Coast Path, this is the inspiring story of a thousand-mile journey and love letter to our land. 
_____________ 
 
'As well as a portrait of a telepathic marriage of true minds, and a snapshot of a fretful island, this is a soaring lament and a tub-thumping tirade - for all that is being lost, for all that may yet be saved' TELEGRAPH 
 
'An inspiring and beautifully written story of hope and healing . . . We, her readers, are privileged to walk alongside her' COUNTRYFILE 
 
'Fans of The Salt Path will love this moving continuation of Raynor and her husband Moth's journey . . . Alongside beautiful nature writing, there are thought-provoking observations on our countryside and the threat it is under' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 
 
PRAISE FOR RAYNOR WINN: 
 
'A beautiful, thoughtful, lyrical story of homelessness, human strength and endurance' GUARDIAN 
'An astonishing narrative' INDEPENDENT 
'A tale of triumph: of hope over despair; of love over everything' SUNDAY TIMES 
'The most inspirational book of this year' THE TIMES 
'A beautiful, luminous and magical piece of writing' RACHEL JOYCE 
'You feel the world is a better place because Raynor and Moth are in it' THE TIMES 
'An uplifting, illuminating read' DAILY MIRROR 
'Brilliant, powerful and touching' STEPHEN MOSS 
 
*No 1 Sunday Times bestseller May 2023*

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