Scandal-hit The Salt Path author and her husband ‘fell out with millionaire benefactor after moving into his farmhouse’ – as claims abound that they misled readers of their hit memoir

The Salt Path scandal couple Raynor and Moth Winn were taken in by a millionaire benefactor who let them live in his farmhouse after he was moved by her powerful book – only to fall out after they got to know each other better.

Best-selling writer Raynor and her supposedly terminally ill husband have been engulfed in scandal after it emerged a number of key details in her memoir were apparently misreported.

Among these was the suggestion that the couple’s original walk on the Cornish path that was so popular with readers was prompted when they inadvertently became homeless.

But The Observer this week claimed they lost their home as an indirect consequence of Raynor misappropriating tens of thousands of pounds from an employer.

She was said to have embezzled £64,000 from a former employer which led to her being arrested – before borrowing money from a relative to avoid prosecution, only losing her Welsh farmhouse home when this was not paid back.

The couple were also alleged to have been disingenuous about being homeless as  they owned a property in France where they had previously regularly stayed.

Now MailOnline has learned that among their fans on the back of the huge success of her memoir was multi-millionaire investment banker turned cider maker, Bill Cole.

Mr Cole is understood to have been so moved by their story that, even though he had never met them, he got in touch and he invited them to live in an historic farmhouse that he owns in the countryside near Lostwithiel in Cornwall.

Following an investigation into their backgrounds, The Observer said that The Salt Path’s protagonists, Raynor Winn (right) and her husband, Moth Winn (left), could have misled fans

The Winns with Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, the stars of the recent film adaptation. It has been claimed that the couple may have made millions from the book and movie

Now MailOnline has learned that among their fans on the back of the huge success of her memoir was multi-millionaire investment banker turned cider maker Bill Cole (pictured)

Mr Cole, a former partner with Frankton Capital who now describes himself as ‘farmer, pirate and impact investor’, is understood to have approached the couple  after being moved reading the first volume of her hit book series.

The couple were living at his property and said they were helping with the cider production when they hosted TV chef and fellow famous Cornwall resident, Rick Stein, and showed him ‘how they make cider in the traditional way’ for a BBC programme first broadcast in March 2023.

Mr Cole, who was at the farmhouse property this week, declined to discuss the couple – real names Sally and Tim Walker – saying: ‘Please leave, I’m the farmer here, I’ve got stuff to do.’

But a source told MailOnline that the relationship between the Winns and Mr Cole had deteriorated after they moved in.

‘Bill was initially very taken with Raynor and it seemed like a perfect set up but then there was some trouble between them and it all ended badly with them falling out,’ the insider said.

In an interview with Country Living magazine published last month, Raynor Winn is believed to have discussed Mr Cole’s generosity publicly.

She said: ‘When a stranger contacted me on Twitter with an incredible gesture, I wasn’t sure how to respond.

‘He owned a disused farm, nestled in the Cornish hills, and asked if Moth and I would like to live there.

‘We agonised for months over the decision. It was yet another risk, to give up our home and to trust a stranger, but we decided to do it.

Mr Cole (pictured) who was at the farmhouse property this week, declined to discuss the couple – real names Sally and Tim Walker

Mr Cole is understood to have invited them to live in an historic farmhouse that he owns in the countryside near Lostwithiel in Cornwall (pictured)

The Winns at a gala screening of The Salt Path film in Newquay, Cornwall earlier this year

She continued; ‘When we arrived, the land felt abused and polluted, but we’ve been hard at work removing plastic sheeting, nourishing the soil and bringing wildlife back to the hedgerows.

‘It’s become a big rewilding project – and it’s worked. A year ago, there were no birds here. Now, there are woodpeckers, yellowhammers and blackcaps.

‘It’s amazing how quickly nature bounces back if you let it. Like humans really…

‘I like to think we’re rewilding [her gravely ill husband] Moth as well as the land. By putting him back into his natural state – moving out in the fields all day – his health has improved almost miraculously, just as it did when we were walking the Coast Path.

‘As the landscape has become healthier, so has he. Nothing will cure his disease, but we’ve found a way to keep it at bay.’

The publication of this article last month gave the impression the couple’s involvement on the cider farm is ongoing. 

However,  locals have seemingly questioned this and claimed the Winns have not been seen around the area for some time.

It’s unclear how long the lag was between the interview and its publication.

When MailOnline visited this week, the pretty farmhouse did not appear to be inhabited.

When MailOnline visited this week, the pretty farmhouse did not appear to be inhabited

A source told MailOnline the relationship between the Winns and Mr Cole (pictured) had deteriorated after they moved in

The windows were thick with dust, from the front door it was clear barely any furniture was left in the house and just a few apparently abandoned items of clothing and kitchen appliances were scattered on the floor.

Neighbours in the nearby hamlet of St Veep – who knew the couple by their professional pseudonyms Raynor and Moth Winn rather than their real names – claimed they had been seen regularly in the area for some time but have not been around for some time.

One near neighbour said: ‘As far as I know they’ve been gone for a while now.

‘The farm is owned by a guy from London called Bill and they were tenants. But there was some kind of falling out.

‘Moth was lovely, he was a really nice guy but Winn was always standoffish like you never felt you could get close to her and she never let her guard down.’