Salt Path story creates a trail of walking fans
Steve Tanner, Black Bear PicturesA best-selling book about one couple's journey of discovery on the South West Coast Path has created a trail of walkers inspired by their story.
Written by Raynor Winn, The Salt Path, starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, has now been made into a film to be released on 30 May.
Among those already prompted to tackle the 630-mile (1,014 km) coastal route for themselves are Bobbie Tucker and her partner Jason Beynon, who have been training along with their dog Teddy.
They hope to complete the entire route spanning four English counties in just six weeks, raising money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and visiting lifeboat stations as they go.
"My sister lent me the book a couple of years ago and as I was reading I just thought I have to do this," said Ms Tucker.
She introduced her partner Jason to the story and together they decided to take time off work to make the walk happen.
The book tells the true story of Winn's journey with her husband Moth walking the route from Somerset to Dorset, after being evicted from their farm and her husband receiving a devastating health diagnosis.
Mr Beynon said: "Certainly for Moth it was a real journey. He had that diagnosis and for any man with any illness, to do that is quite exceptional and to do that with no money is just so brave.
"They could have just given up and said life has dealt us a bad hand but they didn't. What a terrific journey and one to inspire everybody."
But not everyone wants to walk the entire path in one go.
Jane and Alan Gumbrell have being walking the coast path in sections and aim to complete it in a decade.
Ms Gumbrell read The Salt Path and is keeping her own journal of their trips and the people who join them one week at a time.
She said family members and friends had joined them on different holidays and were all in a section of her log book with photos and stories.
Mr Gumbrell said he recommended taking the route slowly.
"No need to rush it, it's stopping at all the different places for a few days, experiencing everywhere you stop. Just do it a week at a time," he said.
Tourism leaders expect fans of the film to seek out some of the filming locations and welcome more walkers.
Lorna Sherriff, national trail officer for the South West Coast Path Association, said everyone was welcome.
"There are 630 miles to share, there is something for everyone here," she said.
The association uses counting machines to record footfall at 15 different locations on the path.
The statistics gathered helps inform the organisation which part of the path is likely to need more maintenance.
Ms Sherriff said: "It's an amazing free resource for people to get out there and walk. But it does cost a lot to maintain.
"It's £1,500 per mile, per year and it's 630 miles along, so that's an awful lot of money."
Julian Gray, director of the association, estimates that walkers contribute £500m to the regional economy when they stay in accommodation and eat in nearby restaurants and pubs, supporting about 10,000 jobs along the route.
"To have a film which is focused just about the path is brilliant," he said.
"What The Salt Path will do is not just tell people about the trail, but the transformative power of walking.
"The South West Coast Path is the perfect multivitamin. It gets you out there, gets you near green space and blue space and connects you with nature."
The film is released on 30 May, with a gala screening taking place at the Lighthouse Cinema in Newquay on Tuesday.
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