Raynor Winn

A long distance walk undertaken by Ray and her husband when everything that possibly could go wrong in their lives had gone wrong. They'd lost the home which they'd lovingly built up over many years, their livelihood, and in Moth's case, his health. He'd just been diagnosed with a rare and terminal degenerative disease. They were the wrong side of 50 years old.

They decided, in one sense, to walk away from their problems. To walk the South West Coast Path. They equipped themselves on a minuscule budget with no experience on their side, and set off. Theirs was a new life of wild camping, few opportunities and little money to be well nourished. Dirty, unkempt and always hungry they survived, and increasingly thrived. Overwintering thanks to a friend who offered accommodation in return for physical work, they accomplished the second part of their journey in the spring, and by the end they had a plan, and a piece of luck.

This is part travelogue, including atmospheric writing about the terrain the pair tramped over: but mainly an account of the journey towards a new life of couple who rose above destructive and unimaginable adversity and found a new way towards their future.… (plus d'informations)

Raynor Wynn through some bad circumstances ended up homeless. Her husband Moth was terminally ill, and their friends and family were struggling too so they could only stay at homes short term. As their life came unglued and everything, they worked for was taken away, Raynor and Moth took all they could carry or afford and walked the Salt Path. The path is 630 miles long and is above the ocean and follows the South West Coastal Path and the English Channel. With a favorite guidebook, and the tiny bit of money they could get every few weeks for food, they pushed on. This journey is a metaphor for life that when the worst happens all you can do is put one foot in front of the other and move through it. There are lessons here, surrounded by beauty and the goodwill of some people they met along the way. There is ugliness too by some people and their preconceived judgement of homelessness. It’s not a long book only 270 pages. I couldn’t stop reading it sometimes crying, sometimes laughing always wondering where their journey would end. Hoping that Moth’s health would hold out and a miracle would arrive to give them hope. I just ordered her next book too.… (plus d'informations)

Raynor Winn and her husband Moth experienced a major financial setback that resulted in the loss of their home and livelihood. The very next day, Moth was diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease with no cure. With no home and no jobs, the couple decided to walk the South West Coast Path from Minehead to Poole, passing through Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, and Dorset. Because they have no money for hotels or campgrounds, the pair plan to wild camp along the trail. Winn’s memoir tells of their adventures on the path, and of coming to terms with Moth’s illness and with their homelessness. It’s a moving reflection on life, love, aging, resilience, and the restorative power of nature and physical activity. The audio version read by the author made this an extra special experience.… (plus d'informations)