The shorts are gone, the coats are out and we’re back to dodging puddles on the cycle to work.

This means that the mountain bike trails are getting muddy, messy and downright unattractive, and as Boromir from Lord of the Rings once said in that other thing he was in: ‘winter is coming’.

For some people, wet and wild is the only way to ride a mountain bike, but the dream of pinning luscious lines under blue skies will always be lurking in the back of the mind.

Of course, the it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to ride dry in your Christmas jumper in Britain, so here are some of the best spots in Europe for winter mountain biking.

Get your lottery tickets at the ready…