The Salt Path ★★★

IN August 2013 English couple Raynor and Moth Winn were desperate.

They had lost everything in a business deal gone wrong and learned that Moth was suffering from a rare degenerative disease.

Facing imminent eviction from their family home, they decided to leave on their own terms; if they were going to be homeless, they may as well be travelling on a journey somewhere, rather than wandering aimlessly.

Despite both being in their 50s and never having hiked any significant distance before, they bought a cheap tent and set off from Somerset to walk a 630-mile coastal trail to Lands End. They had £115 in cash and a £48 weekly income from tax credits to their names.

Just over two miles into the journey Moth was already struggling and they were forced to prematurely make camp for the first time. At that point it seemed an impossible task.

Biographical drama The Salt Path tells the story of their trip, the hardships they overcome together, the range of people they encounter along the way and the affirmation it brings to their lives.

The film is based on Raynor’s best-selling 2018 memoir and stars Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs who both give natural and warm performances that draw the audience into the couple’s relationship and journey.

On the walk they are confronted on occasions with the stigma of homelessness and the responses it provokes, but the film is primarily a story of love and the power of the human spirit.

It’s a modest film but one that will make you ponder what you value in life.

Watched at the cinema.