Editions

The Salt Path

  • Imprint: Penguin

  • ISBN: 9781405937184

  • Length: 288  Pages

  • Dimensions: 198mm x 18mm x 129mm

  • Weight: 202g

  • RRP: £9.99

The Salt Path

  • The Sunday Times bestseller, shortlisted for the 2018 Costa Biography Award & The Wainwright Prize

Bring nature into your home with the uplifting true story of the couple who lost everything and embarked on a journey of salvation across the windswept South West coastline.

'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

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE CHRISTOPHER BLAND PRIZE & SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD & WAINWRIGHT GOLDEN BEER BOOK PRIZE 2018
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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.
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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

'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

'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

'The landscape is magical: shape-shifting 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

  • Imprint: Penguin

  • ISBN: 9781405937184

  • Length: 288  Pages

  • Dimensions: 198mm x 18mm x 129mm

  • Weight: 202g

  • RRP: £9.99

Reviews

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

    Guardian

  • 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

  • A gem of a book

    Guardian, Best Books of Summer

  • 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

    Stylist

  • Ray's account of their incredible journey is a tale of triumph, of hope over despair

    Pick of the paperbacks, The Sunday Times

  • 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

    The Sunday Times

  • An inspirational nature memoir for fans of H is for Hawk about losing everything and finding yourself between the elements of sea and sky

    Waterstones

  • A remarkable and redemptive journey

    Financial Times

  • 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.

    The Times

  • Uplifting and inspirational

    Woman & Home

More from this Author

About the Author

Raynor Winn

Since travelling the South West Coastal Path, Raynor Winn has become a regular long-distance walker and writes about nature, homelessness and wild camping. Her first book, The Salt Path, was a Sunday Times bestseller and shortlisted for the 2018 Costa Biography Award. In The Wild Silence, Raynor explores readjusting to life after homelessness. She lives in Cornwall with her husband Moth.

Raynor Winn

Related articles

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Recommendations

Raynor Winn’s most inspiring nature writing books

As we pass the first day of spring, The Salt Path author reflects on the books that have shaped her from the genre, from fictional children’s stories to environmental polemics.
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Features

How the coastal cliffs became our home on The Salt Path

Just days after Raynor Winn learns that her husband of 32 years is terminally ill, their home is taken away and they lose their business. In The Salt Path, she explains how walking the 630 mile long South West Coast Path changed her perception of 'home,' and led to a journey of salvation.
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Extracts

Extract | The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

In this extract from The Salt Path, Raynor Winn sets off on a 630 mile walk with her partner, Moth - a walk that will show them both the healing power of the natural world

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