Book cover of The Salt Path: A Memoir

Book description

"Polished, poignant... an inspiring story of true love."-Entertainment Weekly

A BEST BOOK OF 2019, NPR's Book Concierge
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BOOK AWARD
OVER 400,000 COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE

The true story of a couple who lost everything and embarked on a transformative journey walking the South West Coast Path in…

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Why read it?

15 authors picked The Salt Path as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I loved the feeling that I was walking the path with Raynor and Moth. I felt their anquish and their joyous moments. I also felt their frustrations and humor. The Salt Path taught me many things about the difficulty of the path, wild camping and running out of food.

The hopelessness the story began with which led to acceptance of what they'd lost and stood to lose. I credit much of Moth's health to making the walk.

Since the release of the movie and the controversial situations it evoked, I could still enjoy the story and what was supposed to be true, yet isn't. I have walked a lot of the salt path myself, so the recollection of the walk's process was very accurate and evoked many fond memories, as well as sad ones.
Having experienced health issues, it also gave me the opportunity to identify with the author's partner and his journey of ill health, validating some of the responses I have had myself.
I listened and read this. It is an easy read.

I love the grittiness of this—an account of a walk along the South West Coast path, when terminal illness and poverty haunt the walkers and everything is in a state of flux.

It doesn’t glamorize the walk; it’s often uncomfortable with lots of biting wind and pouring rain. At times, there are even threats from others they come across who are sleeping rough. Overall, it’s a description of nature at its most raw and authentic.

Although we glimpse moments of inspiration and beauty, I like the fact, as well, that it doesn’t have a big, blowsy Hollywood endingat…

From Carl's list on the healing power of nature.

If you love The Salt Path...

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Book cover of Hope, Laughter, Survival on the Refugee Trail

Hope, Laughter, Survival on the Refugee Trail by Eileen Kay,

Dramatic true story with a wacky sense of humor.

Retired English teacher in Budapest meets foreign medical students fleeing the war in Ukraine, producing a sweet and unlikely friendship, spicy soup, and wicked joking. A sense of humor, however dark, can keep us from despair.

Sample heroes: there was the…

This book tells the real-life story of two people who are quite literally taking control of their destiny by choosing to walk rather than stay put—but while we understand what they have left, we—and they—have no idea what lies ahead.

I loved it because it was so raw and real and because it felt as though we were experiencing every blister and rain-sodden day with them. But I also loved it because it reminds us, clearly and simply, that we always have a choice of how to live our lives. 

From Rachel's list on taking control of your own destiny.

I love the simplicity of this wonderful adventure in the face of adversity and on the tightest of shoestrings. This book brilliantly shows how top-quality experiences do not require money, airplanes, or any other kind of environmental burden—just imagination and courageand the ability to notice the beauty that is already close at hand.

This book inspired me to walk some of the South West Coast Path myself.

I loved this book because it is a very engaging true story, one that I have huge admiration for. To literally just walk the South-West Coast Path when you have been made homeless and one partner has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. I found their story inspiring. When they walked, they had nothing, but by the time they finished, in many ways, they had everything. 

I was amazed at how brilliantly observant the author was in her descriptions of nature, the scenery, people, and even the weather. This book certainly inspired me to walk sections of the South-West Coast…

If you love Raynor Winn...

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Book cover of Heels to Hiking Boots

Heels to Hiking Boots by Sue Muller Hacking,

Won a Silver medal from The 2025 Global Book Awards in the category of Biographies and Memoirs – Travel.

A memoir of self-growth, hard lessons, and inspiration for anyone yearning for a life of adventure and the courage to pursue what it means to find home.

Raised in rural Pennsylvania…

I loved this book for the wallop of its beginning, which details that the narrator, Raynor (and her husband, Moth), were driven to walk England’s 630-mile South West Coast Path because they became homeless.

This is an extraordinarily powerful example of how when life gives you lemons, an adventure can make you lemonade.

From Jessica's list on females adventure and change their life.

Raynor and her husband, Moth, are destitute. Moth has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. They have lost everything; house, work, and income. They have nowhere to go.

So they decide to go for a walk; a very long walk; around the coastline of the West Country following the South Coastal Path. Raynor shares with us, in poetic detail, the minutiae of their struggle, both physical and emotional. As they battle with the force of nature’s elements, something starts to happen.

They begin to identify a way forward and Moth begins to feel stronger. This true story will inspire you.…

I picked this memoir up in Glasgow’s International Airport, desperate for something to read on the long flight back to Denver. The title is what drew me. It, too, promised a road trip of a different sort: A walking-the-path story. I started reading while waiting for my flight and was immediately engaged.

Past middle-aged, homeless hikers, this Welsh couple, husband and wife, strikeout to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path from Somerset to Dorset. The husband has been recently diagnosed with an incurable disease. They have lost their home and farm, and they decide to set out walking. Because…

I love The Salt Path because I connect with the struggle of the couple in their fifties walking day after day on the South West Coast Path, an English footpath, as my husband and I had just finished walking the Grande Randonnée (GR5) in Europe.

We walked as part of our adult gap year. They walked because they became homeless. Winn’s poetic writing brought me deep into their trials of homelessness, illness, and quest for what is ‘Home”. 

From Kathy's list on strong women walking.

If you love The Salt Path...

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Book cover of Hope, Laughter, Survival on the Refugee Trail

Hope, Laughter, Survival on the Refugee Trail by Eileen Kay,

Dramatic true story with a wacky sense of humor.

Retired English teacher in Budapest meets foreign medical students fleeing the war in Ukraine, producing a sweet and unlikely friendship, spicy soup, and wicked joking. A sense of humor, however dark, can keep us from despair.

Sample heroes: there was the…

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