Wet kit has a way of taking over a lodge

Anyone who has spent a week walking the fells knows the routine: you head out under grey skies, come back three hours later with rain running off your hood, and within minutes the hallway of your lodge looks like a small river has burst its banks. A soaked shell jacket and a pair of sodden boots can hold a surprising amount of water between them, and if that water ends up in a heap in the corner of a bedroom, it goes into the air. The result is a musty smell by Tuesday, cold clammy boots on Wednesday, and condensation streaming down the windows.

The good news is that most lodge holidays come with the tools you need to fix this — a drying room, reliable heating, and a bit of space to spread things out. It just takes a little discipline and a rough order of operations.

Boots: slow and steady wins

Boots are the hardest thing to dry and the easiest thing to ruin. The golden rule is warmth, not heat.

• As soon as you are back, loosen the laces, pull the tongue forward, and take the insoles out. They hold a shocking amount of water on their own.
• Rinse mud off with cool water, paying attention to the rand and the stitching, where grit does the most damage over time.
• Stuff the boots with crumpled newspaper or kitchen roll and change it every couple of hours for the first few hours. This wicks moisture from the inside far faster than leaving them empty.
• Stand them in a well-aired spot at room temperature. Keep them away from radiators, wood burners and stove fronts. Direct heat cracks leather, softens glues, and warps the shape of the boot around your foot.
• Never use a tumble dryer or an oven. If the drying room has boot dryers, use the lowest setting and check them regularly.

Leather boots need a light re-wax once they are properly dry — not before, or you will trap moisture inside. Fabric boots dry faster but still deserve the same patience.

Waterproofs: air them, don't bake them

A shell jacket or over-trousers will survive a fortnight of Welsh rain but not an hour draped over a radiator. Heat degrades the membrane and the durable water repellent finish, which is why your jacket starts wetting out in the middle of the following season.

• Shake off the worst of the water outside or over a bath before you bring it in.
• Empty every pocket, close the zips and Velcro, and hang the garment on a wide hanger rather than a hook so air can move through it. Keep the arms unfolded and the hood hanging free.
• If something is truly saturated, lay it flat on a towel, roll the towel up with the garment inside, and press down. Do not wring it.
• Hang it in the drying room or an airy hallway. Overnight is usually enough for a shell; a full day if it has been raining hard all afternoon.

Using the drying room well

Lodge drying rooms are a wonderful invention and a shared resource, so a little etiquette goes a long way. They work by moving warm air around your kit, which means crowding defeats the purpose entirely.

• Rinse mud off boots and gaiters before they go in, and knock grit off the soles. Nobody wants a floor covered in fell mud.
• Space items out. A jacket squashed against three others will still be damp in the morning.
• Use pegs and rails for gloves, hats, buffs and insoles — small items dry quickly when they are not bundled together.
• Keep the door closed while it runs, and set the timer before you go to bed so everything is ready for breakfast.
• Label your kit if the lodge is busy, and take only what belongs to you.

The smaller stuff that gets forgotten

Gloves, hats and mid-layers are often the difference between a comfortable second day and a miserable one.

• Squeeze water out of gloves and hang them finger-side down so water drains away from the palm.
• Fleece and synthetic mid-layers can usually be spun on a low cycle if the lodge has a washing machine, then hung to dry. Wool takes longer and prefers gentle handling.
• Baselayers can be hand-washed in cool water and rolled in a towel before hanging. Merino dries reasonably quickly if it has room to breathe.
• Empty your rucksack completely, sponge out the inside, and hang it open. A forgotten banana skin in a wet rucksack is a smell you will not forget.

A routine that keeps the whole week pleasant

Get into the habit of dealing with wet kit the moment you walk through the door, before the kettle goes on. Boots off outside or in the boot room, waterproofs straight to the drying room, and nothing damp left in a bedroom overnight unless a window is cracked open. Resist the temptation to dry anything in front of the fire — it makes the lodge humid, smells of scorched nylon, and creates a trip hazard for everyone else.

On the day you leave, line the car boot with an old tarpaulin or a bin bag and keep wet kit out of sealed luggage. Arriving home with dry boots, a fresh-smelling jacket and nothing to reproof is a far better end to a fell-walking break than discovering a fortnight later that your favourite fleece has gone mouldy in the cupboard under the stairs.