The Walkers: The real Salt Path
Podcast

The Walkers: The real Salt Path

The Observer

8 episodes

News & PoliticsSociety & CultureArts

Raynor Winn’s memoir The Salt Path was a bestseller and literary phenomenon with millions of people captivated by this true story of financial ruin, terminal illness, and healing through nature. Raynor Winn has since published two more books and The Salt Path has been adapted for the big screen, starring Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson. At its heart it is a simple tale, of a couple embarking on a 630 mile trek in the face of stark adversity. When faced with nothing, they chose to walk. But when reporter Chloe Hadjimatheou received a tip-off that the memoir may not be the "unflinchingly honest" account it claimed to be, suddenly things began to unravel. And the questions, about what is and isn't true, began mounting. How far can you bend the truth before it begins to break? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

What this show covers

investigationRaynor WinnThe Salt PathMoth and Raynor Winnthefttrue storyfamily conflictlettersMoth WinnCornwallmemoir controversysurvivalmedical mysteryterminal illnessrare disease

What listeners will find here

A family member surfaces as Chloe gets closer to Moth and Raynor Winn
Chloe’s investigation continues after an early breakthrough, this time with information from someone close to Moth’s family. The episode centers on deep personal divides, another theft, and a step closer to understanding who Moth and Raynor Winn really are.
A secret meeting brings Raynor Winn’s niece into the story
At a motorway service station, Chloe Hadjimatheou meets a nervous new source with close ties to Raynor Winn. The episode introduces another figure connected to The Salt Path and centers on what the niece has brought with her: letters.
A cider farm, TV cameras, and a friendship shadowed by contradictions
This episode follows Moth and Raynor Winn’s time at a heritage cider farm in Cornwall, where television cameras briefly put them at the center of attention. After they suddenly disappear, the farm’s owner tries to reconcile what he saw with what Raynor later wrote.
A terminal diagnosis, 20 years later: can Moth’s survival be explained?
Moth is living with corticobasal degeneration, a rare terminal illness that usually brings a life expectancy of under eight years. Nearly two decades after his diagnosis, this episode asks whether his extraordinary survival points to a genuine medical miracle.
A bestseller, bold health claims, and the search for Raynor Winn’s earlier book
Raynor Winn’s The Salt Path and its sequels are examined through the questions they raised for publishers and readers alike. Chloe Hadjimatheou looks at increasingly bold claims about reversing a terminal illness and sets out to find Winn’s earlier, little-known debut.

Episodes

The Missing Book | The Walkers Ep7
The Missing Book | The Walkers Ep7
23 Mar 2026 · 41 min
The Letters | The Walkers Ep6
The Letters | The Walkers Ep6
23 Mar 2026 · 47 min
The French Quarter | The Walkers Ep5
The French Quarter | The Walkers Ep5
23 Mar 2026 · 26 min
The Miracle | The Walkers Ep4
The Miracle | The Walkers Ep4
23 Mar 2026 · 39 min
Cider at Haye | The Walkers Ep3
Cider at Haye | The Walkers Ep3
23 Mar 2026 · 42 min
On the path | The Walkers Ep2
On the path | The Walkers Ep2
23 Mar 2026 · 35 min
The Missing Money | The Walkers Ep1
The Missing Money | The Walkers Ep1
23 Mar 2026 · 40 min
Introducing... The Walkers: The real Salt Path
Introducing... The Walkers: The real Salt Path
23 Mar 2026 · 3 min

More like The Walkers: The real Salt Path

Catch Up with Louise McSharry
Louise McSharry
This American Life
This American Life
The Megyn Kelly Show
SiriusXM
Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar
iHeartPodcasts
The Daily T
The Telegraph
Fresh Air
NPR
The Bulwark Daily
The Bulwark
Piers Morgan Uncensored
Piers Morgan Uncensored
The Headlines
The New York Times
Happy Hour with Lucy & Nikki
Lucy & Nikki