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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
As a 31 year old who is awaiting test results for a suspected genetic neurodegenerative condition, this was a hard read in places, but as a lover of the outdoors and the coast path myself, these books have continued to capture me and subsequently make me hopeful for the future. So much so that I finally decided to start an Open uni degree this year. Thank you Raynor for taking us all on yours and Moth's journey. Life is too short to wait around for things to happen, you're both inspirational.
I couldn’t wait for this book to be in the US market so I ordered it from the UK. I love Raynor Winn’s writing so much and connect so much with what drives them. Her writing is so poetic:
I fill my pockets with empty shells as we climb on to the headland, over grass kept razor-short by high winds, but carpeted with tiny yellow potentilla and grass-short Alpine flowers. A final scramble over pink rock and this wild, alien corner of Scotland opens ahead of us. White scudding clouds throw shadows across moorlands stretching south towards the mountains of Sutherland. To the north, a coastline of rocky cliffs shines pink in the early-evening sun, curving away towards the unobtainable Cape Wrath. And to the west, the Atlantic Ocean, a far silver-blue reaching all the way to Newfoundland.
I admit I felt a bit guilty reading her third book. I receive so much joy from her writing and this glimpse into their adventures- yet their travels are inspired to help cope with Moth’s illness and I feel badly I receive join from their pain.
The artwork on her covers is beautiful too.
I also so connect with her activist beliefs. “Real change will take the consensus of humanity, ordinary people accepting that this is an existential crisis for us, as much as it is for the cuckoo. The climate crisis can’t be solved by carbon off-setting- merely moving figures around the carbon chess board and allowing polluters to go on polluting…. That time is over. Time now for us to look up and see what’s happening… the cuckoos can’t wait any longer.” When did humans start to believe our eco in the land required ownership and borders- was it when we stopped moving and started to build? Was that the moment we began to disconnect from the land and each other… yet all the time while in the wilderness we argue about who wields the power, the climate is heating up and the very land over which we’re arguing is beginning to burn. The UN climate report is published and they are calling it ‘code red for humanity.’ The world will hit a tipping point in 2040. The point of no return for many of us.
The true value of pine trees… they emit a chemical known as pinene: for the trees it forms the haze that protects them from the heat of the sun; for us it has an equally protective effect. Scientists have found that when we inhale pinene it chemically interacts with our bodies, lowering levels of stress cortisol and enhancing the activity of anti-cancer killer cells. Just imagine what the world could look like. Imagine a landscape filled with wildflowers and the rich smell of honey rising from acres of lady’s bedstraw, the air thick with insects. It’s intoxicating.
Hearing stories on the hiking trails and connecting with others in this community is so powerful. Hearing the story of a father who did not achieve his aims, and living without doing the things he wanted to do; of wishes and hopes that became nothing but regrets in the end. They meet so many people who recommend they read The Salt Path to boost their spirits
I fill my pockets with empty shells as we climb on to the headland, over grass kept razor-short by high winds, but carpeted with tiny yellow potentilla and grass-short Alpine flowers. A final scramble over pink rock and this wild, alien corner of Scotland opens ahead of us. White scudding clouds throw shadows across moorlands stretching south towards the mountains of Sutherland. To the north, a coastline of rocky cliffs shines pink in the early-evening sun, curving away towards the unobtainable Cape Wrath. And to the west, the Atlantic Ocean, a far silver-blue reaching all the way to Newfoundland.
I admit I felt a bit guilty reading her third book. I receive so much joy from her writing and this glimpse into their adventures- yet their travels are inspired to help cope with Moth’s illness and I feel badly I receive join from their pain.
The artwork on her covers is beautiful too.
I also so connect with her activist beliefs. “Real change will take the consensus of humanity, ordinary people accepting that this is an existential crisis for us, as much as it is for the cuckoo. The climate crisis can’t be solved by carbon off-setting- merely moving figures around the carbon chess board and allowing polluters to go on polluting…. That time is over. Time now for us to look up and see what’s happening… the cuckoos can’t wait any longer.” When did humans start to believe our eco in the land required ownership and borders- was it when we stopped moving and started to build? Was that the moment we began to disconnect from the land and each other… yet all the time while in the wilderness we argue about who wields the power, the climate is heating up and the very land over which we’re arguing is beginning to burn. The UN climate report is published and they are calling it ‘code red for humanity.’ The world will hit a tipping point in 2040. The point of no return for many of us.
The true value of pine trees… they emit a chemical known as pinene: for the trees it forms the haze that protects them from the heat of the sun; for us it has an equally protective effect. Scientists have found that when we inhale pinene it chemically interacts with our bodies, lowering levels of stress cortisol and enhancing the activity of anti-cancer killer cells. Just imagine what the world could look like. Imagine a landscape filled with wildflowers and the rich smell of honey rising from acres of lady’s bedstraw, the air thick with insects. It’s intoxicating.
Hearing stories on the hiking trails and connecting with others in this community is so powerful. Hearing the story of a father who did not achieve his aims, and living without doing the things he wanted to do; of wishes and hopes that became nothing but regrets in the end. They meet so many people who recommend they read The Salt Path to boost their spirits
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I have loved all three of these books. They are journeys of both the soul as well as the feet. And the reminder that our connection to nature is both at risk as well as the answer to so much.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Body horror, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
This was ok, similar to the Salt Path, but I feel that was a stronger read. This one Moth is getting sick again, the forced isolation and stagnation of covid has taken a toll on his health. They are currently living on an orchard in Cornwall where they are farming using permaculture techniques. They decide to walk the Cape Wrath trail, even though Moth is really very bad at the start, falling over, unable to read maps, just not looking good. But they manage to get through the walk, which was interesting because a lot of the places are near the North Coast 500 which I did recently. Then after the Cape Wrath trail they do the West Highland way and then just keep going all the way back to Cornwall. It's an impressive achievement, and Moth is certainly much better by the end. But it does feel like this was a book that was also about accepting his mortality.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
I struggled to stay motivated with the text, as I am not really a memoir, diary reader. However, the audiobook was a game changer...to hear Raynor's own voice tell her story was like sitting with a friend catching up over a hot cuppa and a slice of cake.
Brilliant.
Her reflections on environment, loss of connection, and negative human impact are not new thoughts or calls to action (these have been around for decades....in itself that is damning), but they are woven in well to her journey and eyewitness evidence.
A whisper in your ear to never give up but instead to put yourself in the way of hope.
Brilliant.
Her reflections on environment, loss of connection, and negative human impact are not new thoughts or calls to action (these have been around for decades....in itself that is damning), but they are woven in well to her journey and eyewitness evidence.
A whisper in your ear to never give up but instead to put yourself in the way of hope.