Some writers spend their weekends outlining chapters. A few weeks ago, I spent mine being flung off a mountain bike in Grizedale Forest, trying to capture footage for the upcoming book trailers for The Mereland Chronicles: The Crier.
It was worth every bruise.
Grizedale’s network of trails, tucked between Windermere and Coniston in the southern Lake District, England, always felt like the kind of landscape my characters would cross: steep, damp, and just a bit hostile. Perfect!
In fact, the forests Henry traverses in the story are in the same area, give or take a mile or so – and a few hundred years.
Why Grizedale?
I’d scouted Grizedale before as a photography location, but this time the goal was different: gather visual material for the book’s launch campaign.
Much of The Crier draws from the textures of the Lake District woodlands and forests of old: moss-thick trees. The darkness of the forest. Isolation. Silence. Stillness. It’s the kind of atmosphere where every snapped twig echoes too loudly, and where the line between natural beauty and unease blurs. Grizedale offered all of that in abundance. A place where the landscape itself feels alive, watching, waiting, shaping the story as much as any character. As I learnt many years ago, you can be a part of it, or let it unnerve you.
In my youth I spent a lot of time exploring such landscapes and learning how to look after myself away from the conveniences of modern life. That part of me is probably echoed in Henry’s character and his ability to survive in the wilderness with minimal resources. I came to understand that learning these skills is as important as learning to swim or ride a bike.
The point being that in the great outdoors living can be hard, but easier, if you know what to look for, know when to take an opportunity, and understand the preparation that the seasons force. As I write this, it makes me wonder if the things change theme, that resonates throughout the novel and the series to come, originates from somewhere deep within myself in the idea that just because modern life has remained relatively stable (for those fortunate ones) it doesn’t guarantee it will always be the case. Perhaps some old skills are worth knowing – just in case.
I’ve always been at home in the outdoors. The more remote the better. Multi-day hiking is my adult outlet for reconnecting with nature, and I often ditch modern conveniences for whatever foods I can find along the trail. One of my favorite old memories is sitting with my back against a tree, a tarp pulled over me like a blanket, while the rain hammered down in a remote forest. I was dry and warm. The steady rhythm of rain on tarp soon lulled me to sleep. Those moments left their mark, and they still seep into the stories I write.
Five Seconds of Film, Hours of Work
After poring over the Ordnance Survey map, I’d marked out the perfect spot to capture my footage. Hiring a mountain bike gave me partial access, but a small hike was still needed to reach a near-vertical wooded slope.
Filming on such steep, uneven ground would’ve been nearly impossible for a one-man band if not for my drone. With a few quick waypoints programmed I finally got the shots I needed.
What surprised me most? How little footage actually makes the cut. Hours of travel, set-up, reshoots, and experimenting with angles and light boiled down to less than five usable seconds. The rest is a stack of off-cuts waiting for another day. And now I truly understand why film crews take so long to shoot.
Building the Trailers
The Grizedale shoot was just one part of the process. Alongside other footage I’ve taken on other photoshoots, I’ve also blended in carefully chosen stock clips and effects through Canva. Together they’ve helped me create book trailers, graphics and reels that feel cinematic, atmospheric, and true to the world of The Mereland Chronicles.
What’s Next
The trailers are almost complete and they’ll begin rolling out in the next couple of weeks. These will be the first real glimpse of the story’s mood and atmosphere, and I can’t wait to share them with you.
📖 The Mereland Chronicles: The Crier, Available on Amazon October 16, 2025, with pre-orders opening a few weeks earlier.
🎬 Keep an eye out, the very first trailer will be dropping soon.
– Scrib
PJ Scribbans Author 