Despite the title of this, I thoroughly enjoyed The Salt Path. In it, Raynor Winn evocatively captures why long-distance walking is so addictive. However, every so often I’d read a passage of text which riled me. My problem with The Salt Path was that even though I admired Raynor’s strength and resolve, and was moved by the poignant beauty of her writing, there were times I found it difficult to like her.
Raynor and her husband Moth’s lack of planning frustrated the hell out of the walker in me. How many times does someone head off on a hike without taking enough water before it sinks in it’s a stupid thing to do? That frustrated me, but it accurately highlighted the unconscious incompetence of the rookie walker.
There were some occasions an eyebrow was raised as the writer in me thought, ‘Hmm, I detect the whiff of creative non-fiction.’ That’s also fine, plenty do it. Although, adventures as epic as Raynor and Moth’s should throw up so many interesting and unexpected interactions/experiences there’s little need to exaggerate.
There were also times when I felt readers weren’t privy to all the facts. I just can’t swallow it that people who have so little money wouldn’t question when their weekly benefit payment was far less than it should be. That doesn’t make any sense to me.
But the above were just niggles. The big issue I had was with behaviour and attitudes.
(Note: Here be spoilers)
Inverted Snobbery
Having walked long routes in numerous countries across Europe, I’ve generally found fellow walkers to be amiable and decent people, often not the case in the novel. There have been instances where we’ve encountered ones who behaved in a knobbish manner. But those occasions were rare and generally involved people finding out we were paid to ‘do the walking’ whereas they had forked out a decent amount of money for a similar experience (not really the same, but I’m never going to convince anyone of that).
I felt there was inverted snobbery on display. Raynor made it clear they believed they were walking the South West Coast Path the right way, the virtuous way. You find this a lot with routes like the Camino de Santiago. When I see ‘purist’ walkers dissing others, I think, ‘Get over yourself, you’re missing the point.’ If people are walking and respecting the countryside, who cares how they do it, or whether they dress in the latest walking gear or sweaty rags? Anyway, it’s a bit daft to take to the wilds in inappropriate clothing. That’s just telling the world you’re unprepared (see the bit about the water). Anyway part II – pristine hiking gear doesn’t stay pristine very long. On most decent walks, I end up sweaty, grimy, and probably mud-splattered. That’s the nature of walking in Britain.
Arrogant entitlement
I was gobsmacked at Raynor’s outrage when anyone asked her for money for a service they were providing. This happened with a campsite and a ferry. They encountered a lot of generous folk on their journey, but they weren’t a charity, so why expect to be treated differently from anyone else?
Selfish
Worst of all was Raynor and Moth’s attitude to small businesses. Bad enough were the occasions when they grabbed the best seats (beside a fire in a pub) then hogged them for hours, nursing only a pot of tea or even some hot water. To add insult, for this meagre investment, they used these places as personal drying rooms, wringing out socks and draping them over chairs and tables. If everyone treated pubs and cafes in this manner, there soon wouldn’t be many of them left as they’d rapidly go out of business.
This lack of empathy for small businesses and the struggles they might be facing extended to sneaking into a campsite and using its facilities without paying, and also stealing from a shop. Some might argue they were desperate. Maybe. I’ve had times in my life when money was tight, yet I never reverted to that sort of behaviour, so I have a problem accepting it as being okay.
Saying all that, the book is a compelling read which made me want to tackle the South West Coast Path in full. Despite some lukewarm reviews, I’m looking forward to the film version starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.
