Winter changes the Kazbegi valley more than any other season, and most travellers never see it. The road up the Georgian Military Highway stays open — it is a main route to the Russian border and it is cleared daily — but almost everything else closes. Guesthouses that turn people away in August will keep a fire going for you in January.

The light is the reason to come. From December to February the sun clears the ridge late and sets early, so the valley sits in a long blue hour for most of the day and turns gold for two of them. Gergeti Trinity Church, alone on its ridge above the village, is at its most photogenic with snow on the roof and no one else on the path.

Practicalities matter more here than anywhere else we send people. Snow tyres are not optional and neither is a driver who knows the road; the pass at Jvari sits at 2,379 metres and the wind across it is serious. Days are short, so plan one objective per day rather than three. And layer properly — a valley floor at minus ten can be a ridge at minus twenty with wind.

What you get in return is quiet. The vans are gone, the viewpoints are empty, and the villages return to a rhythm of wood smoke and animal feed. Stepantsminda has a handful of restaurants open and they are all pleased to see you. It is the same valley you have seen photographed a thousand times, with nobody in the frame but you.

If you want the valley to yourself, come between December and early March — and bring the patience for weather. If you want it warm enough to walk to the glacier, come in July. There is no wrong answer, only a different trip.