A homeless couple, Andy Ault and Jo Hawes, both 57, embarked on a nearly year-long journey of 630 miles along a coastal path, sleeping in a tent each night. Their epic story mirrors the plot of Gillian Anderson's new film, The Salt Path.
The couple found themselves without a home on September 15, 2023, when the rent for their Essex home increased from £500 to £750 per month, a cost they could no longer afford. Andy was living on universal credit while Jo worked as a sales assistant in a corner shop.
After a no-fault eviction, Andy suffered sudden heart failure and Jo had to quit her job. With no place to call home, the couple decided to undertake a 297-day trek down the Cornwall-to-Devon portion of the Salt Path, walking from Saltash to Newquay. Despite Andy still recovering from heart failure and taking beta blockers, they chose this alternative over living with friends or moving into a tent in Essex.
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They hoped that they would have better luck finding a home in the south west, where they had always wanted to live, reports Devon Live. They began their walk on November 22, 2023, and spent almost a year sleeping in a tent they pitched each evening along the route. Now, the pair have been granted a new, permanent home in Newquay, Cornwall, after receiving the keys from the council on February 14, 2025.
Their journey echoes The Salt Path - a memoir recounting the story of a homeless couple who trekked the same trail, which has now been adapted into a film set to be released on May 30.
Andy, originally from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, shared: "I would be in tears [during the trek], saying 'I can't do this anymore.' Jo would say 'stop whingeing.' We would pick each other up - we had to stay happy. We hadn't heard of the book or film - we just loved the look of the south west - Cornwall, especially."
In autumn 2023, Andy experienced a "funny turn" while Jo was working just five minutes away from their home. He felt "wobbly", collapsed and Jo rushed from work to take care of him. Initially, they visited their GP who conducted an ECG and urgently referred him to the Southend University Hospital in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.
Hospital consultants diagnosed him with heart failure due to a faulty valve that was only functioning at 40 per cent. They prescribed him beta blockers and informed them he'd require surgery to repair the valve "sooner rather than later".
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Jo, who is also unemployed, revealed: "He didn't stay in hospital - he was prescribed beta blockers and discharged, after being told he'd need an operation, sooner rather than later. He was so poorly, he'd go to bed at night and feel like he was going to fade away. While Andy was awaiting his operation, the couple decided to travel to the south west, wanting to avoid "living in a tent" in Southend. Initially, the couple stayed with a friend in St Mellion, Saltash, Cornwall, paying £100 a month for two months. However, after exploring various Cornish towns, including Bude, Newquay, and Looe, they decided to embark on the Devon-to-Cornwall section of the coast path, opting to live in a tent instead.
In November 2023, they paid their last £100 and began their 297-day journey. Along the way, Andy and Jo faced numerous challenges, including Storm Isha, winter snow, and even had sea water lapping at their tent. At the start of their trek, Andy struggled with his backpack, needing to catch his breath after just 10 steps.
To manage his heart condition, they planned their route around regular stop-offs to replenish his medication. Despite the difficulties, Andy credits their joint Instagram account, @blokeblokester555, with keeping them motivated. He explained: "We would post on Instagram daily, as a way of self-helping. When I started, I struggled to walk. It got to a point where I was able to say: 'Here I am, walking the coastal path, with a heavy rucksack!
'"As 2024 drew to a close, Andy and Jo found themselves in Falmouth, Cornwall, searching for a place to pitch their tent. Due to concerns about Andy's heart condition, council workers directed them to The Salvation Army for breakfast and assistance. After receiving support with laundry services, the couple in need were directed to Health for Homeless for a health check-up. Shockingly, blood tests revealed the man was in danger of having a heart attack, as he had dangerously high levels of potassium. "If we'd still been on the coastal path I could have been [having a heart attack] in the middle of nowhere. So, we count our blessings.
"Thanks to The Salvation Army's assistance, the couple managed to secure temporary accommodation at a St Austell hotel to stay safe and warm during the winter period. On a twist of fate, Andy's birthday coincided with Valentine's Day 2025, it also became the day they received keys to their new permanent home. Jo shared that "Andy seems to be doing a lot better now he's on different medication," and together they've drawn parallels between their own experiences and those described in The Salt Path memoir. Recounting their connection with the book, Andy explained: "Jo bought the book for 50p at a charity shop - by the time we'd reached St. Keverne, she'd finished it. Jo would be reading bits of it at night, in the tent with her head-torch on.
"Despite living a story so close to the one from the book, Andy humorously noted, "I'd have to tell her to turn it off - but she'd want to show me passages from it all the time. I think some of it's a bit far-fetched - even though we've lived the real thing.
We left the book at a pub in St Keverne, and signed it 'the real Salt Path. " Karen Thomas from The Salvation Army in Falmouth expressed her relief at being able to assist a local couple, Andy and Jo, stating: "We're so glad Andy and Jo found us when they did and that we were able to help with immediate practical support.
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"We're seeing an increasing number of people walk through our doors who are forced to live on the streets or in precarious accommodation."
She added that homelessness can happen to anyone and elaborated, "while not everyone's back-story gets turned into a book and film, we know that anyone can become homeless whether through no fault evictions, family break-ups, illness or addiction, or job loss. Everyone should have access to a stable and affordable home and no one should be sleeping on the streets."
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