In November 2010 it was time for another trip around the region, for what might be my last stopover with the car before the warmer weather returns next spring. I caught the seasonal sights perfectly. Whilst there have been plenty of pictures posted of my cars during winter, spring and summer, to date I've never captured the R4 in the final season of the fall.

Firstly, Queen Geanine can be found above sitting under a canopy of falling leaves outside the youth hostel in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, a real geological oddity of a town sitting several hundred metres above sea level, yet featuring strange volcanic mounts formed millions of years ago when the whole area was under water.

I had driven down to Le Puy on the autoroutes, being flashed by a speed camera upon entering a tunnel at St-Étienne and then witnessing a pack of four escaped horses blocking an entire side of the motorway as they trotted uphill on the carriageway further south. The views that then unfold are simply stunning, crossing dramatic gorges before bearing witness to bizarre volcanic extinct eruptions on the horizon towards Yssingeaux. The Auvergne region never lets a driver down with its ever-changing and varied landscapes to look at.

For the return journey, I drove north from Le Puy avoiding autoroutes altogether, and I encountered some wonderful scenery (above and below) in the Haute-Loire as I followed a rough route along the upper reaches of the river that lends the French département its name. The main road was in fact blocked for some kilometres with one of the all-too-regular Route Barrée signs forcing a detour to the east, but I regained my desired direction at Lavoûte-sur-Loire.

After passing through Vorey, I veered left and ascended a long winding road which seemed to repeat itself every few moments in bearing right across a small stone bridge over a stream, then left beneath a rocky outcrop, then a 180-degree turn back along the other side of the gorge, and then all the same again and again.

This was a classic road for drivers to negotiate its constant swings left and right, all the while rising further into the remote hills surrounded by splendid seasonal scenes of oranges, yellows and greens.

Eventually, the multicoloured cocktail of leaves subsides and the openings in the trees afford breathtaking views across to the east.

Emerging on top of the hill at the next small village of Roche-en-Régnier, I stopped for a short trek up to the summit, which is marked for miles around by the crumbling remains of an ancient chapel.

I rejoined the route following the gorges of the Loire to the east, then stopped for fuel and refreshments at Aurec-sur-Loire, before continuing north along the waterside and bearing left over an impressive bridge west of Unieux. My previous entry to this section in October had been in the neighbouring département of Loire, and I now crossed back into it as I headed towards Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert. Along the way, I swept through passages of pristine autumnal scenes.

Dusk fell on the route north-east to Lyon, where the Renault 4 shall reside on the hillside fulfilling the odd request for short trips here and there. I may still head out further afield during the colder climes to come, but more likely just for day trips. Next year's fiftieth anniversary celebrations might require more of my little queen if I am to see and be seen at events for the keen.