The Forest of Dean is beautiful all-year-round, but in the winter time, the woodlands glisten with raindrops and snowflakes, as the frost nestles into the ground.

The Forest’s beauty makes some of us want to head out and brave the cold, so we may turn our heads to our trusty wellies. The problem is, the winter can take a significant toll on our wellies and lead us to a shop to buy a new pair.

But what if we could prolong the lives of our wellies? Luckily, fashion experts at Joules have shared with The Forester five expert-backed tips for doing just that! Read more below.

Anyone who played rugby or football may remember the “knocking together” technique when leaving the pitch. It was a way to get any large pieces of wet mud off your boots before putting them back into your boot bag.

However, when it comes to wellies - you should avoid giving them such treatment. Joules recommends letting the mud dry first before you resort to knocking them together. It should help get as much mud off as possible.

This is an area where it is best not to wait. If zips are drowning in mud, they may end up clogging up, which eventually can lead to the zips breaking. Consider using paper towels to quickly get the worst bits off, before you move on.

The biggest question woodland walkers will ask is, how can I actually clean my boots? Well, Joules recommends soaking a microfibre cloth in warm, soapy water and removing any excess mud that remains. Be sure to wipe the entire welly!

It’s a good idea to remove the insoles and give them the same washing treatment as the rest of the pair of wellies. Ideally, you will use a different microfibre cloth for this. When both are clean and damp, you may want to put them onto a sheet of newspaper.

Air drying is the best policy when you want to prolong the life of your wellies. If you want to speed the process up, you can stuff the wellies with newspaper and hang them up. Just don’t let them come in contact with radiators!

Viv Hamill, senior footwear technologist at Joules said: “You should always try to clean your wellies as soon as you take them off, even when on-the-go,

“I would recommend keeping a bristle brush and a large bottle of water in the car for when you don’t have access to cleaning supplies so that you can loosen the mud from the sole of your wellies.

“To make sure your wellies last you should avoid prolonged exposure to freezing conditions, you should store your wellies somewhere cool and dry as well as out of direct sunlight.”

For more advice on how to maintain your wellies this winter, visit the Joules website.