Walking is good for you. What may be hard on the sole is good for the soul and overall wellbeing. THE SALT PATH is testimony.
Just over a decade ago, Raynor Winn and her husband, Moth, set off from Minehead in Somerset to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path. They were recently made homeless after a heel childhood friend of Moth’s convinced them to become involved in some financial investments, which led to debt claims, disputes and a lengthy three-year court battle.
To rub salt into the financial wound, in the same week that they lost their home and their entire livelihoods, Moth was diagnosed with a terminal condition called Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD). They sought council housing but were told that Moth was not sick enough and they would not qualify for immediate housing.
So they took to the road, a couple of middle aged swaggies, traversing
The Southwest Coast Path, the 630-mile coastal route along the boot of England, from Somerset, through Devon and all the way down to Cornwall.
As a travelogue, THE SALT PATH is worth the price of admission. The rugged, fierce beauty of the environment is breathtakingly captured by director of photography, Hélène Louvart.
That rugged, fierce beauty is mirrored in the performances of Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs as Ray and Moth. These two stars chemistry is astronomical, a potent portrayal of a couple facing crises that can cripple and capsize any relationship, with a refusal to yield to hopelessness.
The film is peppered with a parade of people the couple they meet along the path, a passing parade that enriches the journey with characters as varied and interesting as the landscape.
Interestingly, the more the couple walked, the more Moth started to regain his physical and mental wellbeing. Is it to do with the extreme reduction of food intake and the freezing cold temperatures they encountered on their walk? Or the restorative power of nature?
Things to ponder after joining in the wander – and the wonder – of THE SALT PATH.
