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Landlines
FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE SALT PATH AND THE WILD SILENCE
Some people live to walk. Raynor and Moth walk to live . . .
Raynor Winn knows that her husband Moth's health is declining, getting worse by the day. She knows of only one cure. It worked once before. But will he - can he? - set out with her on another healing walk?
The Cape Wrath Trail is over two hundred miles of gruelling terrain through Scotland's remotest mountains and lochs. But the lure of the wilderness and the beguiling beauty of the awaiting glens draw them northwards. Being one with nature saved them in their darkest hour and their hope is that it can work its magic again.
As they set out on their incredible thousand-mile journey back to the familiar shores of the South-west Coast Path, Raynor and Moth map the landscape of an island nation facing an uncertain path ahead.
In Landlines, she records in luminous prose the strangers and friends, wilderness and wildlife they encounter on the way - it's a journey that begins in fear but can only end in hope.
_________________
Some people live to walk. Raynor and Moth walk to live . . .
Raynor Winn knows that her husband Moth's health is declining, getting worse by the day. She knows of only one cure. It worked once before. But will he - can he? - set out with her on another healing walk?
The Cape Wrath Trail is over two hundred miles of gruelling terrain through Scotland's remotest mountains and lochs. But the lure of the wilderness and the beguiling beauty of the awaiting glens draw them northwards. Being one with nature saved them in their darkest hour and their hope is that it can work its magic again.
As they set out on their incredible thousand-mile journey back to the familiar shores of the South-west Coast Path, Raynor and Moth map the landscape of an island nation facing an uncertain path ahead.
In Landlines, she records in luminous prose the strangers and friends, wilderness and wildlife they encounter on the way - it's a journey that begins in fear but can only end in hope.
_________________
11 pages, Audible Audio
First published September 15, 2022
784 people are currently reading
10361 people want to read
About the author
Raynor Winn
8 books2,372 followersAfter walking the South West Coast Path, Raynor Winn became a long distance walker and now writes about nature, homelessness and wild camping. She lives in Cornwall.
Follow Raynor on Twitter @raynor_winn
Follow Raynor on Twitter @raynor_winn
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,101 reviews
November 5, 2022
This was a book after my heart and if I could I would give it 6 stars. I have read the two previous books and I can see how the author has grown. This book is not only about the struggle she and her husband have with his illness, but also the struggle that the UK has with the consequences of climate change, the covid pandemic and Brexit. The descriptions of the landscape are so beautiful that you have the idea that you see them in front of you. Every time I think: 'oh no, there they go again', they have to suffer so much, but that's their life and the need they feel. And that has beauty in it.
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April 6, 2022Possibly her best yet
July 11, 2023
By nature, we are ambulatory creatures. Our bodies are designed for movement. In an increasingly sedentary world, this is a story about walking. Walking long distances. Walking to heal.
Raynor’s husband Moth has Corticobasal degeneration. An insidious disease with no cure. A disease which is difficult to determine, only diagnosed when everything else has been ruled out. Raynor convinces Moth to go on a long healing walk.
Remarkably it has helped in the past, alleviating his condition, mitigating symptoms. However, Moth’s condition is worse than it has ever been. He is slowly losing his battle, his muscles growing weaker with each day. Eventually he will lose his speech, memory, and not be able to breath.
This is the third book in a series, and while the reader may benefit from reading the first two novels, as I intend to do, this book is enjoyable on its own as well.
As they traverse the path, they encounter other walkers, negotiate dangerous terrain, struggle with injuries and the will to continue their journey, many times teetering on the brink of giving up. While they trudge on, the reader is treated to Scottish history, geography, and anecdotes from their life, as they witness homelessness, climate crisis, and extinction. It all makes for an interesting read, especially if, like me, you know very little about Scotland.
This is a story about hardship and struggling against insurmountable odds, refusing to give in. But it is also about hope and there are also many moments of humour that pop up, little lamps of laughter brightening a bleak path.
Winn does a wonderful job of taking the reader along with them. Her writing is crisp and vivid, bursting with Scottish imagery and landscapes.
Raynor’s husband Moth has Corticobasal degeneration. An insidious disease with no cure. A disease which is difficult to determine, only diagnosed when everything else has been ruled out. Raynor convinces Moth to go on a long healing walk.
Remarkably it has helped in the past, alleviating his condition, mitigating symptoms. However, Moth’s condition is worse than it has ever been. He is slowly losing his battle, his muscles growing weaker with each day. Eventually he will lose his speech, memory, and not be able to breath.
This is the third book in a series, and while the reader may benefit from reading the first two novels, as I intend to do, this book is enjoyable on its own as well.
As they traverse the path, they encounter other walkers, negotiate dangerous terrain, struggle with injuries and the will to continue their journey, many times teetering on the brink of giving up. While they trudge on, the reader is treated to Scottish history, geography, and anecdotes from their life, as they witness homelessness, climate crisis, and extinction. It all makes for an interesting read, especially if, like me, you know very little about Scotland.
This is a story about hardship and struggling against insurmountable odds, refusing to give in. But it is also about hope and there are also many moments of humour that pop up, little lamps of laughter brightening a bleak path.
Winn does a wonderful job of taking the reader along with them. Her writing is crisp and vivid, bursting with Scottish imagery and landscapes.
October 8, 2022
What I love about Raynor Winns writing, aside from her atmospheric use of language, is her ability to find hope in even the most daunting of challenges. Be it a winding vertiginous path, boots that strip the skin of your toes and heels by the end of day one, or your husbands devastating diagnosis of a progressive neurological disorder.
Hope is not easily won, you need to plant yourself in its path and fight for it. All of which both Raynor and Moth pledge themselves to, utterly, with their own brand of resilience and good humour, and by choosing to walk from Scotland back to their home in Cornwall. Like the path under their feet, life is rarely straightforward or easy going, but the views can be exceptional.
Hope is not easily won, you need to plant yourself in its path and fight for it. All of which both Raynor and Moth pledge themselves to, utterly, with their own brand of resilience and good humour, and by choosing to walk from Scotland back to their home in Cornwall. Like the path under their feet, life is rarely straightforward or easy going, but the views can be exceptional.
January 10, 2023
I liked the first two books in the series, The Salt Path and The Wild Silence, but this one not so much. The journey it's about should have made this a really good read. The problem for me is that rather than being simply about the epic physical journey undertaken, Moth's journey from despair and journey to recovery, it has a very notable focus on politics. The politics of devolution, the government narrative on "climate change" and the "pandemic". To boot there are many references to ourselves as "humans" in the sense of us being just another species of animal. This is fine if you like politics and agree with Raynor Winn's politics and the government narratives she clearly supports. It is just irritating if you don't!
Also I got the feeling that whilst the previous events in Raynor's and Moth's lives were genuine hardship, illness aside, this time there is no mention of money struggle or having to work. They just go where they like when when they want to. Was a sponsor paying for the boots, food, hotels etcetera?
Simply not the same for me. Great to hear of Moth's recovery. Nice to hear about so many places in the UK. Good ideas for walking. Not good to hear one-sided views on politics and evolution.
See what you think yourself though.
Also I got the feeling that whilst the previous events in Raynor's and Moth's lives were genuine hardship, illness aside, this time there is no mention of money struggle or having to work. They just go where they like when when they want to. Was a sponsor paying for the boots, food, hotels etcetera?
Simply not the same for me. Great to hear of Moth's recovery. Nice to hear about so many places in the UK. Good ideas for walking. Not good to hear one-sided views on politics and evolution.
See what you think yourself though.
October 12, 2022
This book is between 3-4 stars, and perhaps I'll change the rating one day, but for now, it sits at around 3.5 stars. I felt really torn giving this book this rating as I loved a lot of it. I loved the premise of the book- walking to try and reverse a chronic, degenerative disease. As someone with a chronic illness, it spoke of hope, and has made me very thoughtful, wondering whether immersing myself in nature could help my conditions.
I loved following the journey,and the descriptions of the country. However, I sometimes found the author's tone and opinions difficult. Not only the fairly regular remarks about Brexit but I found myself annoyed by her "I told you so" repetitions when Moth had done something silly.
I found the hypocrisy throughout the book angering too, which is the main negative for me. She talks a lot about the threat to habitats, nature, biodiversity, and how humans need to open their eyes and do something, which is all true, however, she then goes and eats animal products, which are the leading causes for environmental devastation and habitat loss (significantly more than transport..read "This is Vegan Propaganda: and other lies the meat industry tells you" by Ed Winters, if you want facts and details. Or Google it :) ). She does this throughout and I find it hypocritical and exactly the attitude I dislike- humans have to do something to reduce their environmental impact...but not me. She also says things about how a man who scouts out stags so they can be killed/hunted by rich twats has a genuine, deep affection for the deers...cognitive dissonance if ever there was an example. There are lots of examples throughout the book of this sort of thing and it spoilt my enjoyment of it. Were it not for them, I would have loved this book and it would probably be 5-stars. Hearing her and her husband's journey from Scotland to Cornwall is incredible. The endurance, strength, and love they both have to do this in the name of hope is inspiring, and I was truly warmed and hooked by it. But I just found it too annoying to rate any higher. I am hoping to read her other books though, in the hope that there will be less cognitive dissonance examples and more on the walking and nature itself.
I loved following the journey,and the descriptions of the country. However, I sometimes found the author's tone and opinions difficult. Not only the fairly regular remarks about Brexit but I found myself annoyed by her "I told you so" repetitions when Moth had done something silly.
I found the hypocrisy throughout the book angering too, which is the main negative for me. She talks a lot about the threat to habitats, nature, biodiversity, and how humans need to open their eyes and do something, which is all true, however, she then goes and eats animal products, which are the leading causes for environmental devastation and habitat loss (significantly more than transport..read "This is Vegan Propaganda: and other lies the meat industry tells you" by Ed Winters, if you want facts and details. Or Google it :) ). She does this throughout and I find it hypocritical and exactly the attitude I dislike- humans have to do something to reduce their environmental impact...but not me. She also says things about how a man who scouts out stags so they can be killed/hunted by rich twats has a genuine, deep affection for the deers...cognitive dissonance if ever there was an example. There are lots of examples throughout the book of this sort of thing and it spoilt my enjoyment of it. Were it not for them, I would have loved this book and it would probably be 5-stars. Hearing her and her husband's journey from Scotland to Cornwall is incredible. The endurance, strength, and love they both have to do this in the name of hope is inspiring, and I was truly warmed and hooked by it. But I just found it too annoying to rate any higher. I am hoping to read her other books though, in the hope that there will be less cognitive dissonance examples and more on the walking and nature itself.
February 4, 2023
4.5 stars.
Well Raynor Winn has done it again. I love these books so much! Every time I read one, it makes me want to pack up the essentials and just keep on walking.
In this book, not only do we get to explore a route along with Raynor and her husband Moth, but they take us through parts of Scotland, England and Wales! They are such an inspiration to me, especially Moth who as many of you will know has a degenerative disease.
This is such a hopeful book, a love story to our environment and the many great walks available to us. A must read.
Well Raynor Winn has done it again. I love these books so much! Every time I read one, it makes me want to pack up the essentials and just keep on walking.
In this book, not only do we get to explore a route along with Raynor and her husband Moth, but they take us through parts of Scotland, England and Wales! They are such an inspiration to me, especially Moth who as many of you will know has a degenerative disease.
This is such a hopeful book, a love story to our environment and the many great walks available to us. A must read.
August 28, 2022
This is the third outing for Winn, author of The Salt Path and The Wild Silence.
Moth's condition is significantly worsened as the book opens. He can't make it from the house to the orchard without falling over. The couple have two options, they can either sit at home and wait for Moth to die slowly or they risk everything again and do another mammoth walk, hoping that it will keep his condition at bay like it did in the past.
Their plan is to walk from Cape Wrath in the north of Scotland all the way home to Cornwall. This is that story.
Moth's condition is significantly worsened as the book opens. He can't make it from the house to the orchard without falling over. The couple have two options, they can either sit at home and wait for Moth to die slowly or they risk everything again and do another mammoth walk, hoping that it will keep his condition at bay like it did in the past.
Their plan is to walk from Cape Wrath in the north of Scotland all the way home to Cornwall. This is that story.
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February 11, 2025«Não pensem, no entanto, que é uma daquelas balelas de auto-ajuda. Nada disso: Raynor Winn escreve de uma forma muito bonita, mas é bastante racional. Esperem relatos verdadeiros, que não embelezam os momentos em que lhes apeteceu desistir.»
Review completa em: https://ritadanova.blogs.sapo.pt/land....
Review completa em: https://ritadanova.blogs.sapo.pt/land....
January 1, 2023
Ray's third book begins with Moth's deteriorating health. She somehow convinces him to walk 200 miles of Scotland in the hope his health will improve as it did on the south coast path. Slowly they trample their way through Scottish wilderness, in a mid-Covid landscape of extremes - some people refuse to even serve them food, while others go out of their way to help them.
This book is a celebration and lament for the British landscape. How things have changed and how the majority of us don't treasure what is left. A beautiful thought provoking book.
This book is a celebration and lament for the British landscape. How things have changed and how the majority of us don't treasure what is left. A beautiful thought provoking book.
March 26, 2023
Enjoyed this mixture of walking travelogue and memoir as author and husband walk long distances and talk about different things
April 22, 2023
Geweldig mooi verhaal. Heel bijzonder.
September 1, 2024
It has been nearly three years since I read the first two books involving the 'outings' of Raynor and her husband Moth but I had been looking forward to reading this third book, which I had asked for as a Christmas present!
As Moth's health once again seems to be deteriorating, Ray wonders if the efforts of undertaking a challenging walk may once again almost reverse the effects of his illness, as they experienced when undertaking the South West Coastal Path, as featured in The Salt Path. This time, the pair decide on the ultimate challenge of the Cape Wrath path in the north of Scotland. Prevented from starting when they want to as Covid restrictions initially prevent any travel from England into Scotland, once there they then find considerable local resistance to 'incomers' and also the presence of the military on firing exercises preventing them starting at the beginning of the path. Nevertheless, they plough on through quite difficult conditions and, once reaching Fort William travelling south, they then continue the journey along several other paths, including the West Highland Way, The Pennine Way and Offa's Dyke Path, taking them eventually all the way home.
Another excellent and engrossing read - 9/10.
As Moth's health once again seems to be deteriorating, Ray wonders if the efforts of undertaking a challenging walk may once again almost reverse the effects of his illness, as they experienced when undertaking the South West Coastal Path, as featured in The Salt Path. This time, the pair decide on the ultimate challenge of the Cape Wrath path in the north of Scotland. Prevented from starting when they want to as Covid restrictions initially prevent any travel from England into Scotland, once there they then find considerable local resistance to 'incomers' and also the presence of the military on firing exercises preventing them starting at the beginning of the path. Nevertheless, they plough on through quite difficult conditions and, once reaching Fort William travelling south, they then continue the journey along several other paths, including the West Highland Way, The Pennine Way and Offa's Dyke Path, taking them eventually all the way home.
Another excellent and engrossing read - 9/10.
January 1, 2023
Exceptional book beautifully written I have been on a journey.
July 6, 2025
I may be the first to give this book a single star rating.. I did finish because I wanted to know what would happen, but just like the reading of this book felt like hard work, the walk also did and the reading of the walk.... Well you get it. Moors, rain, midges, mud, blistered feet, walkers that were just going the distance vs walkers "that got it", unfriendly Scots, covid, failing equipment: it was hard work to read about it. And it was repetitive to make the whole thing a proper ordeal.
The infusion of some chapters with pages that seem heavily inspired Wikipedia pages and the forever going on about biodiversity, the climate etc made it even worse. I agree with Raynor that humanity has a problem regarding climate, biodiversity and sustainability, but I don't need anyone preaching about it at random moments in a book that I didn't pick up to constantly be confronted with the authors opinion on the matter. It is tiresome, unnecessary, boring and just unwelcome, as far as I am concerned. Winn's 50 cents to the matter subtract rather than add to the book.
This book just didn't do it for me. At all. However, without giving too much away, I was glad about what I read in the final chapter!
Update on Raynor Winn and Moth aka Sally and Tim Walker, being very flexible with the truth, it seems:
https://observer.co.uk/news/national/...
The infusion of some chapters with pages that seem heavily inspired Wikipedia pages and the forever going on about biodiversity, the climate etc made it even worse. I agree with Raynor that humanity has a problem regarding climate, biodiversity and sustainability, but I don't need anyone preaching about it at random moments in a book that I didn't pick up to constantly be confronted with the authors opinion on the matter. It is tiresome, unnecessary, boring and just unwelcome, as far as I am concerned. Winn's 50 cents to the matter subtract rather than add to the book.
This book just didn't do it for me. At all. However, without giving too much away, I was glad about what I read in the final chapter!
Update on Raynor Winn and Moth aka Sally and Tim Walker, being very flexible with the truth, it seems:
https://observer.co.uk/news/national/...
May 31, 2023
In this third book we see Moth’s condition has worsened. He struggles to prune the trees in the orchard, and feels unbalanced when walking. Having previously seen the restorative power of walking, the decision is made to undertake a walk they’ve always dreamed of.
Perhaps when you are at your low points, and feel there’s nothing to lose, you can find the inner strength to do something that might - by any stretch of the imagination - seem crazy. However, when packaged in this way the walk from Scotland to Cornwall does offer a chance to reconnect with nature, the opportunity to reassess what is important and the time to test one’s resolve in the face of some very challenging circumstances.
As someone who enjoys walking I truly admire what Raynor and Moth have done. As someone who also detests midges, sore feet and heavy rain, I read most of this book feeling I was reading about some kind of personal hell.
Throughout the book I found myself quite taken by the obvious love of nature and the focus on how we as a race are slowly destroying the world we inhabit. The signs are there of damage to our environment, but these are signs that we are not in a position to heed while engrossed in the small stuff that occupies us so much of the time. Having walked some of the areas they cover in their route, I also found myself recollecting my own walks and how they’ve impacted me. The little connections made along the way - particularly when taking place immediately after COVID lockdown regulations were being eased - were touching, but each of these moments also highlights the shifting attitudes towards walkers/the countryside that seem to be taking place.
It left me with a definite sense of wanting to finally get round to reading The Salt Path - clearly a defining read for many, though each seems to take their own ideas from it - but I’m also wondering if buying husband a copy of this to read might be a mistake! The bug will hit him hard after reading this…
Perhaps when you are at your low points, and feel there’s nothing to lose, you can find the inner strength to do something that might - by any stretch of the imagination - seem crazy. However, when packaged in this way the walk from Scotland to Cornwall does offer a chance to reconnect with nature, the opportunity to reassess what is important and the time to test one’s resolve in the face of some very challenging circumstances.
As someone who enjoys walking I truly admire what Raynor and Moth have done. As someone who also detests midges, sore feet and heavy rain, I read most of this book feeling I was reading about some kind of personal hell.
Throughout the book I found myself quite taken by the obvious love of nature and the focus on how we as a race are slowly destroying the world we inhabit. The signs are there of damage to our environment, but these are signs that we are not in a position to heed while engrossed in the small stuff that occupies us so much of the time. Having walked some of the areas they cover in their route, I also found myself recollecting my own walks and how they’ve impacted me. The little connections made along the way - particularly when taking place immediately after COVID lockdown regulations were being eased - were touching, but each of these moments also highlights the shifting attitudes towards walkers/the countryside that seem to be taking place.
It left me with a definite sense of wanting to finally get round to reading The Salt Path - clearly a defining read for many, though each seems to take their own ideas from it - but I’m also wondering if buying husband a copy of this to read might be a mistake! The bug will hit him hard after reading this…
April 19, 2023
Ik vind het fijn om weer te lezen over hun wandelavonturen. Ze zien de prachtigste uitzichten en komen regelmatig herten tegen en allerlei vogels. Maar er is ook veel tegenslag.
In dit derde boek vervalt Raynor in herhaling. Dat past bij wandelboeken, maar op een gegeven moment vind ik het veel van hetzelfde.
Het is weer mooi om te lezen, maar heel diep gaat het niet. Dit boek is alleen aan te raden voor degenen die de eerste twee boeken van Raynor Winn konden waarderen.
https://lalageleest.nl/2023/04/19/lan...
In dit derde boek vervalt Raynor in herhaling. Dat past bij wandelboeken, maar op een gegeven moment vind ik het veel van hetzelfde.
Het is weer mooi om te lezen, maar heel diep gaat het niet. Dit boek is alleen aan te raden voor degenen die de eerste twee boeken van Raynor Winn konden waarderen.
https://lalageleest.nl/2023/04/19/lan...
November 14, 2022
I enjoyed the personal story and the descriptions of places, some of which were familiar to me but I thought there was too much "save the world" polemic. It seemed that everything was seen through this "campaign" which became too repetitive and spoilt the flow of the essential story of the journey and the improvement in Moth's health which was much more heart warming.
March 3, 2023
Ligt het aan het feit dat ik die boek in (een zeer Hollandse) nogal stroeve vertaling las? Ligt het aan het feit dat dit boek voelt als een verplicht nummertje? Een zoveelste variatie op hetzelfde thema?
Het kon mij alleszins niet betoveren zoals The Salt Path dat kon.
Jammer.
Het kon mij alleszins niet betoveren zoals The Salt Path dat kon.
Jammer.
July 7, 2025
My favourite book of the three; Shame it was all made up !
October 18, 2022
Ik zit een beetje tussen twee en drie sterren in bij dit boek. Voor een deel gelden voor dit boek dezelfde opmerkingen die ik deels bij de andere delen al beschreven heb. De beschrijvingen van de natuur zijn mooi, maar je krijgt niet echt zicht op de twee hoofdpersonen, Ray en Moth. Verder vond ik het hele boek nogal deprimerend doordat de ontberingen die beide wandelaars moeten doorstaan de mooie momenten overschaduwen. Het verhaal is bijna een aaneenschakeling van regen, storm, muggen, steekvliegen en kapotte voeten. Het boek nodigt niet uit tot wandelen. Verder doet de informatie over de verschillende streken en dorpen nogal encyclopedisch aan en komen de filosofische opmerkingen mbt actuele onderwerpen zoals klimaat, Corona en Brexit nogal pathetisch over.
Maar op de een of andere manier spreken boeken over mensen die dit soort tochten ondernemen en de confrontatie met de natuur aangaan me aan, dus waarschijnlijk zal ik deel vier ook wel weer lezen.
Maar op de een of andere manier spreken boeken over mensen die dit soort tochten ondernemen en de confrontatie met de natuur aangaan me aan, dus waarschijnlijk zal ik deel vier ook wel weer lezen.
June 6, 2023
300 pages and what felt like the longest read of my life…
I truly wanted to enjoy this book. I found it at the airport on my way to walk The West Highland Way myself, so it just felt like the perfect read. However despite its low page-count the book to me felt drawn out. The content of the different chapters were very similar - long, descriptive passages about the landscape broken up by occasional, random dialog or her own thoughts about her self-proclaimed egoism or her concern about Moth’s illness.
Nonetheless, it in itself is a slow-paced, beautiful story about hope and persistence. It simply wasn’t for me..
I truly wanted to enjoy this book. I found it at the airport on my way to walk The West Highland Way myself, so it just felt like the perfect read. However despite its low page-count the book to me felt drawn out. The content of the different chapters were very similar - long, descriptive passages about the landscape broken up by occasional, random dialog or her own thoughts about her self-proclaimed egoism or her concern about Moth’s illness.
Nonetheless, it in itself is a slow-paced, beautiful story about hope and persistence. It simply wasn’t for me..
May 30, 2023
I have really enjoyed following the adventures of raynor winn and her husband. She is so consistent with her imagery and information while they are on their travels.
Its no surprise that this book follows on and continues to be a delight to read.
This has a great outlook on a good few areas of GB and if you were ever wondering about visiting then this has a little insight into that.
This really made me want to visit places i havent and made me feel homesick for scotland also.
Its no surprise that this book follows on and continues to be a delight to read.
This has a great outlook on a good few areas of GB and if you were ever wondering about visiting then this has a little insight into that.
This really made me want to visit places i havent and made me feel homesick for scotland also.
January 3, 2025
Dieses Buch ist für mich nochmal die beste Erklärung, warum mir Raynor Winn die Liebe zum lesen zurück gebracht hat.
Es ist so beeindruckend, wie viele Themen sie in diesen per se zutiefst persönlichen Berichten berühren kann. Persönliche Entwicklung, Resilienz, Klimawandel, Obdachlosigkeit, Biodiversität, Berichte über Forschungen zu einer selten neurologischen Krankheit, Naturbetrachtungen, Wanderer-Mentalität, …
Inspirierend ist so ein ausgeleierter Begriff, aber so fühlt es sich wirklich an, dieses Buch zu lesen. Ich habe fast eintausend Seiten über die Liebe zwischen Ray und Moth gelesen, jedes Buch quasi eine Liebeserklärung an Moth, und das verzweifelte klammern an eigentlich grundlose Hoffnung hat mich so fertig gemacht. Es fühlt sich an, als wollte Ray mit all ihrer Kraft und dem Glauben an die Kraft der Natur ihren Mann gesund lieben und eventuell gibt es wirklich eine medizinische Sensation am Ende?
Ich hoffe, dass es ihnen noch fünfzig Jahre gut miteinander geht und sie immer weiter wandern. ❤️
Es ist so beeindruckend, wie viele Themen sie in diesen per se zutiefst persönlichen Berichten berühren kann. Persönliche Entwicklung, Resilienz, Klimawandel, Obdachlosigkeit, Biodiversität, Berichte über Forschungen zu einer selten neurologischen Krankheit, Naturbetrachtungen, Wanderer-Mentalität, …
Inspirierend ist so ein ausgeleierter Begriff, aber so fühlt es sich wirklich an, dieses Buch zu lesen. Ich habe fast eintausend Seiten über die Liebe zwischen Ray und Moth gelesen, jedes Buch quasi eine Liebeserklärung an Moth, und das verzweifelte klammern an eigentlich grundlose Hoffnung hat mich so fertig gemacht. Es fühlt sich an, als wollte Ray mit all ihrer Kraft und dem Glauben an die Kraft der Natur ihren Mann gesund lieben und eventuell gibt es wirklich eine medizinische Sensation am Ende?
Ich hoffe, dass es ihnen noch fünfzig Jahre gut miteinander geht und sie immer weiter wandern. ❤️
December 26, 2022
Dieses dritte Buch ist jetzt einerseits wirklich nicht mehr gut, ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, dass man es für sich lesen kann und nicht nur, um rauszufinden, was aus den beiden aus dem ersten Buch geworden ist. Andererseits mochte ich gerade die Kunst- und Journalismuslosigkeit: Es sind keine zusammenrecherchierten Fakten zu Land und Leuten drin, es geht wirklich nur um den Weg, und nicht mal der ist besonders genau beschrieben. Es geht auch nicht idyllisch zu, große Teile handeln von Klimakatastrophe, Landschaftszerstörung, Brexit, Krankheit und Tod. "Inspirierend" fand ich es auch nicht, alles klingt unbequem und schmerzhaft. Wahrscheinlich ist es nicht mal Absicht, aber dieses Buch verweigert sich praktisch allem, was das "Ich war draußen und erzähle davon"-Genre sonst macht, und das fand ich gut. Aber mehr so als Konzept, Lesevergnügen war es keines.
October 18, 2022
Raynor Winns erstes Buch "Der Salzpfad“ erzählte von der gemeinsamen Fernwanderung mit ihrem Mann Moth auf dem South West Coast Path in Cornwall, zu der sie als Obdachlose nach Privatinsolvenz und der Diagnose CBD (kortikobasale Degeneration) bei Moth aufbrachen. Inzwischen leben sie wieder auf einer kleinen Farm. Trotz regelmäßiger körperlicher Arbeit im Obstgarten hat sich Moth' Zustand wieder verschlechtert; seine geistige Leistungsfähigkeit litt merklich durch die erzwungene Isolation während der Corona-Krise. Da die 1000km-Wanderung auf dem South West Coast Path damals eine erstaunliche Besserung der degenerativen Krankheit bewirken konnte, drängt Raynor auf ein neues Wanderprojekt, die Durchquerung Großbritanniens von Nord nach Süd, um der Krankheit ein Schnippchen zu schlagen. Sie zweifelt, ob sie einen unheilbar Erkrankten in eine dünn besiedelte Gegend schleppen darf, in der sie im Notfall keine Hilfe bekommen werden. Eine besondere Herausforderung wird sein, dass Moth' Fähigkeit, sich zu entscheiden, merklich abgenommen hat. Auf ihrer ersten Etappe Sheigra - Fort William muss die nicht kartierte Route jedoch ständig dem Wetter und den Bodenverhältnissen angepasst werden, Flüsse sind zu durchqueren, von Mückenschwärmen noch nicht zu reden. Am Ende werden die beiden rund 60-Jährigen die britische Insel in 6 großen Etappen zu Fuß und eine Strecke mit dem Rad durchquert haben. Sie schwimmen dabei gegen den Strom, weil offenbar alle anderen Wanderer im Süden starten.
Das Paar erlebt ein von der Isolation durch den Brexit und neu aufflammender Feindseligkeit gegenüber Unbekannten in der Corona-Krise geprägtes Land. Neue Wanderschuhe in der gängigsten Größe sollte man in Englands Geschäften nicht mehr erwarten, während sich an den Grenzen Import-Waren an der Zollabfertigung stauen. Das eng gedrängte Übernachten in Hütten ist während einer Pandemie nicht zu empfehlen, so dass das Paar meist im Zelt übernachtete – und prompt auf Ressentiments gegenüber Menschen „mit großen Rucksäcken“ stieß, die sie an ihre Obdachlosigkeit erinnerten. Die Situation Obdachloser nimmt Raynor seit der ersten Fernwanderung mit feinen Antennen wahr.
Die erste Etappe der Wanderung bietet Gelegenheit über Landflucht, Überweidung, Zerstörung der Moore und die Abhängigkeit Schottlands vom Jagdtourismus zu grübeln. Südlich von Fort William blicken die beiden Extrem-Wanderer auf Landschaften, die Schottland-Reisenden vertrauter sein werden als der äußerste Nordwesten des Landes. Nach jeder Etappe hätte sich die Möglichkeit geboten, abzubrechen. und jedes Mal entscheiden die beiden sich, weiter zu wandern - bis zurück nach Cornwall. Raynor und Moth wachsen an ihren Herausforderungen. Sie wirken gelassener als während ihrer Cornwall-Umrundung. Das Fehlen der Klagespur aus dem ersten Band lässt den Bericht über ihr jüngstes Abenteuer reflektierter und ermunternder wirken. Auch der Running Gag trägt dazu bei, wenn Raynor und Moth unterwegs mehrfach aufgefordert werden, doch bitte das berühmte Buch dieser Raynor Winn zu lesen – es würde sicher ihr Leben verändern.
Die Durchquerung Post-Brexit-Großbritanniens durch Raynor und Moth hat mich als Publikum im Lesesessel weniger gestresst als ihre Blauäugigkeit im ersten Buch. Ihr Bericht hinterlässt bei mir das melancholische Fazit, dass man auf Reisen nichts aufschieben sollte, denn das Leben könnte dazwischen kommen ...
Das Paar erlebt ein von der Isolation durch den Brexit und neu aufflammender Feindseligkeit gegenüber Unbekannten in der Corona-Krise geprägtes Land. Neue Wanderschuhe in der gängigsten Größe sollte man in Englands Geschäften nicht mehr erwarten, während sich an den Grenzen Import-Waren an der Zollabfertigung stauen. Das eng gedrängte Übernachten in Hütten ist während einer Pandemie nicht zu empfehlen, so dass das Paar meist im Zelt übernachtete – und prompt auf Ressentiments gegenüber Menschen „mit großen Rucksäcken“ stieß, die sie an ihre Obdachlosigkeit erinnerten. Die Situation Obdachloser nimmt Raynor seit der ersten Fernwanderung mit feinen Antennen wahr.
Die erste Etappe der Wanderung bietet Gelegenheit über Landflucht, Überweidung, Zerstörung der Moore und die Abhängigkeit Schottlands vom Jagdtourismus zu grübeln. Südlich von Fort William blicken die beiden Extrem-Wanderer auf Landschaften, die Schottland-Reisenden vertrauter sein werden als der äußerste Nordwesten des Landes. Nach jeder Etappe hätte sich die Möglichkeit geboten, abzubrechen. und jedes Mal entscheiden die beiden sich, weiter zu wandern - bis zurück nach Cornwall. Raynor und Moth wachsen an ihren Herausforderungen. Sie wirken gelassener als während ihrer Cornwall-Umrundung. Das Fehlen der Klagespur aus dem ersten Band lässt den Bericht über ihr jüngstes Abenteuer reflektierter und ermunternder wirken. Auch der Running Gag trägt dazu bei, wenn Raynor und Moth unterwegs mehrfach aufgefordert werden, doch bitte das berühmte Buch dieser Raynor Winn zu lesen – es würde sicher ihr Leben verändern.
Die Durchquerung Post-Brexit-Großbritanniens durch Raynor und Moth hat mich als Publikum im Lesesessel weniger gestresst als ihre Blauäugigkeit im ersten Buch. Ihr Bericht hinterlässt bei mir das melancholische Fazit, dass man auf Reisen nichts aufschieben sollte, denn das Leben könnte dazwischen kommen ...
December 15, 2025
DNF at 100 pages. I enjoyed the Salt Path, didn’t really like the Wild Silence and am getting nowhere with Landlines. I find the author to have a quite a superior and judgemental tone towards anyone else who dares to exist in the countryside. It can be quite snide and I don’t find the author likeable enough outside of those comments to want to continue.
November 28, 2022
After deciding to walk the Cape Wrath Trail in the Scottish Highlands, Raynor and husband Moth just keep walking until they've completed the thousand miles to their home in Cornwall. A very similar book to The Salt Path, this tells of their undertaking in the months following lockdown.
June 17, 2023
I’m so disappointed I didn’t love this book as much as the others, it has such a different vibe. I LOVED The Salt Path so much I wanted to hike the SW Coast Path, and I’m not a hiker at all. But honestly whilst reading I began to wonder if this walk was 1. sponsored by the publishers just so Raynor could write another book and 2. partly a work of fiction.
I have to apologise in advance because my review is going to be a bit cynical and I seem to have gone off on a bit of a rant 🫣
Obviously, I am glad Raynor and Moth are no longer living in poverty or homeless, but there was just no discussion about being careful with money AT ALL. After being penniless in The Salt Path this just didn’t make sense to me, and this is what sparked my belief that everything was being paid for by someone else.
The spending was constant - hotel rooms, two new bikes, new boots, new tent, two new stoves (why?), shipping large items (bikes etc) home or ahead, paying someone to collect and transport their van from the Scottish highlands all the way back to Cornwall, plus all the pub/cafe meals and endless tea. Seems unrealistic that at no point did they think wait, what are we actually spending? - as all those costs add up quickly.
Also, no mention of their kids back home? Even though they are stuck looking after their dog (and their farm?) for months and months. I would have liked more narrative on how they navigated these decisions with their children, as they made their (numerous) spontaneous decisions to continue walking further and further. Unless it wasn’t spontaneous at all and was actually all planned out that way from the beginning? 😅
Don’t get me wrong I loved reading about the hike itself, the changing landscapes, the wildlife, and the impact, both positive and negative, on Moth and Raynor.
I did however dislike having to keep reading about Brexit, Scottish independence, climate change, Covid, loss of animal habitats, impacts of second home ownership, *insert any other trending topic here*. Sure it may all be important stuff but I thought I was reading about a long distance hike and it’s life changing health benefits, not being preached to about various political issues.
I also disliked the hypocrisy, or what I saw as hypocrisy.
There were various complaints about the “hoards of tourists” and no hotel rooms being available, because (god forbid) people wanted to have a holiday after Covid lockdowns. Isn’t this exactly what Raynor and Moth were also doing? Also tourists, just in a different way?
The constant complaints about the expanding roads and motorways and air pollution, even though they used the very same roads to get all the way up to the north of Scotland. What’s the alternative? None was mentioned as far as I can remember.
I’m sure there was a snide remark somewhere about camper vans, even though they have one and used it at the beginning. I also sensed a bit of snobbery towards day hikers and I’m pretty sure other hikers were nearly always described as huffing/puffing and struggling - or “we could hear them coming” 🤣
I found it increasingly hard to believe that the conversations with strangers in this book actually took place. They always lead way too nicely into Raynor being able to discuss trending political topics or to provide some motivational speech, and so it reads (to me) as a work of fiction.
And finally… the apparent never ending generosity of complete strangers. The amount of times I exclaimed out loud “that didn’t happen” - a random Scottish man stopping and offering them a lift 30 miles away (so a 60 mile round trip into the night for this man), people bestowing them with free food and drink because shops were closed, the waitress who says “oh don’t worry my cousins a taxi driver in the town over I’ll call him” - there’s definitely more that I’ve forgotten. But maybe I’m too cynical 🤨
So much potential to be an enjoyable read, but for me way too political and a bit too doom and gloom.
I have to apologise in advance because my review is going to be a bit cynical and I seem to have gone off on a bit of a rant 🫣
Obviously, I am glad Raynor and Moth are no longer living in poverty or homeless, but there was just no discussion about being careful with money AT ALL. After being penniless in The Salt Path this just didn’t make sense to me, and this is what sparked my belief that everything was being paid for by someone else.
The spending was constant - hotel rooms, two new bikes, new boots, new tent, two new stoves (why?), shipping large items (bikes etc) home or ahead, paying someone to collect and transport their van from the Scottish highlands all the way back to Cornwall, plus all the pub/cafe meals and endless tea. Seems unrealistic that at no point did they think wait, what are we actually spending? - as all those costs add up quickly.
Also, no mention of their kids back home? Even though they are stuck looking after their dog (and their farm?) for months and months. I would have liked more narrative on how they navigated these decisions with their children, as they made their (numerous) spontaneous decisions to continue walking further and further. Unless it wasn’t spontaneous at all and was actually all planned out that way from the beginning? 😅
Don’t get me wrong I loved reading about the hike itself, the changing landscapes, the wildlife, and the impact, both positive and negative, on Moth and Raynor.
I did however dislike having to keep reading about Brexit, Scottish independence, climate change, Covid, loss of animal habitats, impacts of second home ownership, *insert any other trending topic here*. Sure it may all be important stuff but I thought I was reading about a long distance hike and it’s life changing health benefits, not being preached to about various political issues.
I also disliked the hypocrisy, or what I saw as hypocrisy.
There were various complaints about the “hoards of tourists” and no hotel rooms being available, because (god forbid) people wanted to have a holiday after Covid lockdowns. Isn’t this exactly what Raynor and Moth were also doing? Also tourists, just in a different way?
The constant complaints about the expanding roads and motorways and air pollution, even though they used the very same roads to get all the way up to the north of Scotland. What’s the alternative? None was mentioned as far as I can remember.
I’m sure there was a snide remark somewhere about camper vans, even though they have one and used it at the beginning. I also sensed a bit of snobbery towards day hikers and I’m pretty sure other hikers were nearly always described as huffing/puffing and struggling - or “we could hear them coming” 🤣
I found it increasingly hard to believe that the conversations with strangers in this book actually took place. They always lead way too nicely into Raynor being able to discuss trending political topics or to provide some motivational speech, and so it reads (to me) as a work of fiction.
And finally… the apparent never ending generosity of complete strangers. The amount of times I exclaimed out loud “that didn’t happen” - a random Scottish man stopping and offering them a lift 30 miles away (so a 60 mile round trip into the night for this man), people bestowing them with free food and drink because shops were closed, the waitress who says “oh don’t worry my cousins a taxi driver in the town over I’ll call him” - there’s definitely more that I’ve forgotten. But maybe I’m too cynical 🤨
So much potential to be an enjoyable read, but for me way too political and a bit too doom and gloom.
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