Salt Path author Raynor Winn and her husband Moth made a £10million fortune from her book 'based on a lie'... now their surf bum kids are set to cash in

By TOM HUSSEY and NICK CRAVEN, SENIOR REPORTER Published: 13:18, 7 June 2026 | Updated: 13:20, 7 June 2026 Their parents were at the centre of the biggest publishing scandal of the century, accused of having told a string of lies to mislead an army of readers and gain book sales worth almost £10million. But if the spectacular fall from grace of Salt Path author Raynor Winn and her husband 'Moth' caused associated embarrassment to their two adult children, it seems the couple are now making up for it – by lining them up for a significant share of the proceeds. For, the Daily Mail can reveal, the couple's daughter Alice Walker has been made a director and shareholder of the family firm while their son Tristan Walker has been named as a person of significant control. And it's believed the move indicates a long-term plan to involve the two adult children – a tattoo artist and a drone camera enthusiast respectively – in decision-making around the family's now enormous wealth. The pair – who are both surfing enthusiasts and dog lovers – could also potentially enjoy some minor tax advantages as a result of their status with the company over paid dividends. Alice, 35, was made a director of Four Hares Limited in April having already served as a person with significant control. Raynor, 63, and 65-year-old Moth – whose real names are Sally and Tim Walker – also sit as directors while Tristan, 37, is listed as a person of significant control. The moves appear to pave the way for both children to take a more hands-on role in controlling the family fortune. Raynor Winn (right) and her husband, Moth Winn (left), were at the centre of a publishing scandal  The couple's daughter Alice Walker has been made a director and shareholder of the family firm while their son Tristan Walker has been named as a person of significant control Tristan married his partner Hayley three years ago The company, founded in 2020, describes its business activities as 'cultural education' and 'artistic creation'. It's thought the business is a spin-off from the enormous success of Raynor's books The Salt Path, The Wild Silence and Landlines, with the first book alone having sold two million copies and being translated into 25 languages. Both Alice and Tristan were raised in Wales before the Walker family home was repossessed – in circumstances that proved the most contentious of the claims made in Raynor's breakthrough first book. The pair then followed their parents in relocating to the West Country in the wake of Raynor's success in writing about the area – and now appear to have embraced the same love of the outdoors and the Cornish countryside as their parents. Like her mum, Alice also posts photos and videos of seascapes in the area around her home in west Cornwall and talks about the mental health benefits of the great outdoors. She also takes regular exotic foreign trips, including one where she rode the Pacific Coast Highway in California on a Harley-Davidson motorbike, and a similar motorbike tour around South Africa, as well as a recent visit to Barcelona. She's a regular at Download festival where she dances in the mosh pit. Under the name Rowan Alice she works as a tattoo artist as well as a jewellery designer and illustrator out of a work unit in Falmouth. She wrote at the beginning of January: 'Plan for the year is to ride bikes, surf loads, hang out with dogs and be hot. Much of the same then really.' And although she rarely refers to him in any social media, it's understood that Alice is in a long-term relationship. Her partner is Ethan Days. The couple, who share two mongrel dogs, live with her parents in their rented historic farmhouse near the pretty village of Gweek, which is set in hundreds of acres of land with sea views, and is believed to be worth up to £10million. The property, owned by local millionaire landowner, is so shut away it has enabled Raynor and Moth to avoid the public eye almost completely since the scandal broke last July. Alice takes regular exotic foreign trips and is a regular at Download festival where she dances in the mosh pit Under the name Rowan Alice, she works as a tattoo artist as well as a jewellery designer and illustrator out of a work unit in Falmouth Raynor, 63, and 65-year-old Moth – whose real names are Sally and Tim Walker – also sit as directors while Tristan, 37, is listed as a person of significant control Ethan, a tattoo industry supplier, ran last year's London Marathon to raise money for a charity that supports those with Moth's rare illness – and the pair posed for a promotional picture together – just weeks before The Observer first cast doubt on the veracity of his health condition. Alice's older brother Tristan meanwhile runs a drone company and regularly posts dramatic clips to music on his Instagram account. He married his partner Hayley three years ago and they bought their first home together, a £400,000 detached new build in a village outside Newquay last year. In promotional materials for his company he talks about having surfed the famous Newquay beaches for years. The couple also have a pet dog, a labrador. Four Hares Limited was established in April 2020, two years after the release of The Salt Path, a memoir which charts Raynor and Moth's journey along England's South West Coast path after allegedly losing their home, becoming penniless and battling terminal illness. Tristan married his partner Hayley three years ago The couple bought their first home together, a £400,000 detached new build in a village outside Newquay last year  Winn has made approximately £9.5million from The Salt Path and follow up books, The Wild Silence (2020), and Landlines (2022), according to data from Nielsen BookScan. Miss Walker's appointment comes ahead of the delayed release of Raynor Winn's fifth book, On Winter Hill, due out on January 27, 2028. As a shareholder, Miss Walker will also be able to receive dividend payments which are subject to some tax breaks. The book has sold more than two million copies worldwide in 25 different languages. A film adaptation released in 2025 starred Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. On Winter Hill was due to be released last year but was delayed following an explosive investigation into The Salt Path by The Observer newspaper, which cast serious doubt over the couple's alleged path to homelessness, the severity of Moth's medical condition and the continuity of their journey. The newspaper claimed the loss of their Welsh farmhouse was not in fact due to a 'bad investment' with a friend, but rather a high court battle following allegations that Sally Walker had embezzled £64,000 from a former employer. It was also alleged the couple held a secret property in France and a pre-existing publishing business while claiming to be homeless. Questions were also raised regarding Moth's corticobasal degeneration (CBD) diagnosis, a progressive neurological disease that causes severe movement issues. Winn claimed the 630-mile walk improved his symptoms and kept him alive despite the condition being incurable and sufferers given six to eight years to live. Moth claims to have lived with the condition for 18 years despite no apparent visible symptoms. Readers with terminal conditions say they were led to believe walking could help them. Winn has repeatedly claimed The Salt Path was the first book she had ever written but it later emerged she had self-published a book in 2012 under the nom de plume Izzy Wyn-Thomas. The Walkers strenuously denied the allegations. Four Hares Limited, which is based in Cornwall where the Walkers live, reported net assets of £360,782 for the year ending March 2025. It has since reported £128,900 in cash reserves but also listed £124,500 in short-term liabilities, which are financial obligations. Since the controversy, Winn herself has largely stayed off social media But last month she posted a rare photo of a glowering coastal cloudscape with a caption which sceptics might apply equally to parts of her own story: 'The sea shifting colour under a restless sky, never quite the same from one moment to the next.' The luxurious Cornish estate where Salt Path author Raynor Winn and her husband have been hiding out since doubts were raised over their 'true' story Now the Daily Mail can reveal how the couple have been lying low at this sprawling property set in 190 acres of farmland, providing the couple with all the space they need for walking and camping The Winns at a gala screening of The Salt Path film in Newquay, Cornwall, earlier this year Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs in the film adaptation of The Salt Path, which was released in May this year When approached at the stunning farmhouse near Gweek, Cornwall, where the family now live, Moth – real name Tim Walker – answered the door looking fit and healthy. His lack of acute symptoms for his fatal corticobasal degeneration (CBD) diagnosis was questioned by some medics and charities last year. He told the Daily Mail: 'I have nothing whatsoever to say.' When asked whether she wanted to comment on her directorship, daughter Alice replied: 'No.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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