How England's southwest coast has been a healing refuge for centuries

Fast Company

14 hours ago

Moth Winn was diagnosed with a terminal illness at the age of 53 and in the same week he and his wife, Raynor, lost their home. As the bailiffs arrived, the couple made a remarkable decision: to take a 630-mile year-long coastal walk from Somerset to Dorset, through Devon and Cornwall.
Their journey was first told in Raynor Winn's bestselling memoir The Salt Path, which has now been made into a film. In The Salt Path, Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs portray the hardship and hope the couple experienced as they walked through sunshine and storms with little more than a tent and a handful of cash.
But their walk is part of a much older story. Without realizing it, Raynor and Moth joined a centuries-old tradition of seeking healing and transformation along the southwest coast.
In the 19th century, people traveled to the coast because doctors believed sea air and seawater could treat illness. This idea became known as 'change of air' treatment and was widely prescribed to urban patients suffering from 'nervous disorders', such as stomach pains and chest issues. These seaside visits were understood as a form of medicine.
England's westerly edge
The South West Coast Path is the U.K.'s longest national trail. The route has over 115,000 feet of ascent and descent—the equivalent of scaling Mount Everest four times. It was officially protected in 1973 to preserve and improve access to the path and now attracts nearly 9 million visitors each year. But its origins lie in the working lives of local people, especially coastguards watching for smugglers and fishermen following pilchard shoals.
In the 19th century, the region also became a destination for domestic tourists. It was made more accessible as passenger rail lines were extended to places including Plymouth and Penzance. Some visitors walked to explore unfamiliar landscapes, while others did so on medical advice.
The seaside towns of Penzance and Torquay emerged as health resorts and by the first world war they were known as 'havens for invalids.' Between 1800 and 1854, Torquay's population grew from 800 to 14,000, mostly made up of medical residents on temporary stays.
Healing in the elements
Before the walk, Moth was diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration (CBD) after seeing a doctor about shoulder pain and tremors. CBD is a rare degenerative condition that affects the brain and gradually leads to difficulties with movement, speech, memory, and swallowing.
When he began the walk, Moth's mobility had deteriorated and he was experiencing severe pain and numbness in his left leg. For the first half of the film, Jason Isaacs drags his foot along the ground to show this physical strain. The challenge of walking was made harder by the rugged terrain—steep hills, jagged rocks, and harsh winds.
As Moth and Raynor walked, something unexpected happened. Moth's symptoms began to ease, his condition improved, and he eventually stopped taking pain relief. He believed the change was linked to the regular movement and the sense of purpose the walk gave them during a bleak period. He described walking as having a restorative power that offered him a new, unlicensed freedom.
The idea that walking by the coast could have healing properties has deep roots. In the 19th century, walking was considered beneficial, but the emphasis was on gentle movement in clean air rather than endurance through rough landscapes. The air of Devon and Cornwall was praised for its soothing qualities and the climate for its warmth in the winter. Town planners even built flat promenades in seaside towns to make walking more accessible for people with chronic illnesses and low mobility.
Spending time outside was considered particularly valuable for people suffering from tuberculosis. Before tuberculosis was known to be caused by bacteria, medical experts blamed it on bad-smelling air. Doctors suggested that city dwellers suffering with chest pains remove themselves from these dirty atmospheres and immerse themselves in the clean, salt air at the seaside.
Nature plays a central role in The Salt Path. Its effect on the body is seen in Gillian Anderson's sun-scorched cheeks and wind-tousled hair. The sounds of birds and the sea accompany panoramic drone shots of the cliffs. The sea is a key character.
Arriving at Minehead, the Winns take a photo to begin their journey: of 'the three of us', the couple and the sea. Victorian travel writers also insisted that in the southwest, 'The pedestrian must never wander more than a stone's throw from the sea.'
When Moth swims in the sea, he is empowered in his own body and able to move without constraint. The seaside has carried health connotations since the 1700s. In the 18th century, doctors claimed that sudden immersion in cold, salty, and turbulent waters had therapeutic value for chronic illness. Today, open swimming remains a popular practice in the southwest and is praised for its mental and physical health benefits.
As the film ends, we learn that 12 years after their walk Moth is still living with CBD and the couple still use long-distance walks to treat his symptoms.