The Real Salt Path: Sky’s Explosive Documentary Reopens One of Britain’s Most Beloved Stories

By Jon Donnis

When The Salt Path was released in 2018, it swept across Britain like a sea breeze. Raynor Winn's memoir of loss, love and redemption on the windswept South West Coast Path became an instant classic. Readers were moved by her tale of financial collapse and her husband Moth's terminal illness, both finding solace in nature's raw beauty. It wasn't just a bestseller, it became a cultural touchstone. Book clubs adored it, festivals feted it, and the film adaptation starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs sealed its status as a modern phenomenon.

But now, seven years on, that story is under scrutiny. Earlier this year, Observer journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou received an anonymous tip that sent her digging into the world behind Winn's memoir. What began as a quiet curiosity turned into a full-blown investigation. Over several months, Chloe followed the trail through documents, witness accounts and interviews with people who knew the Winns before their fateful walk. The Observer's exposé, published in July, painted a far more complicated picture than the one in the pages of The Salt Path, and its revelations rippled through the literary world.

Now Sky Documentaries has commissioned The Real Salt Path (working title), a one-off feature from the award-winning Candour Productions, to explore what really happened. With exclusive access to Chloe's ongoing investigation and new whistleblowers stepping forward, the documentary promises to delve even deeper into the facts and the fallout. It will blend investigative journalism with cinematic storytelling to uncover what the nation's favourite story might have left unsaid.

Hayley Reynolds, Acting Director of Sky Documentaries, described the project as "world-class journalism meeting world-class filmmaking". She added that Sky was drawn to stories that challenge perceptions and ask difficult questions, calling this "the perfect partnership" with The Observer and Candour Productions. Alice Sandelson of The Observer echoed that sentiment, saying it had been "remarkable to see how the Real Salt Path story captured the public imagination" and expressing excitement about bringing Chloe's investigation to the screen.

Anna Hall, founder of Candour Productions, called it "a very British whodunnit". She said the film would explore not only the facts behind The Salt Path, but also "how we connect to the power of stories, and what we do when we have to question what we believed".

With its mix of mystery, moral tension and cultural reflection, The Real Salt Path looks set to be one of the most talked-about documentaries of the year. It asks an unsettling question: when a story we cherished begins to unravel, how much truth do we really want to find?

The Real Salt Path (w/t) airs on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW this December.