Usually have the stereo on but was slowing down in between songs and I could hear a tap tap sound coming from the rear of the car. Turned stereo off and listened and sure it enough, tap tap tap which was clearly speed related coming from rear n/s of car. Once you were going fast enough, road noise turned it off. Slight squealing when braking at slow speed to stop.

Checked under car, nothing obvious hitting wheel, nothing hanging off, drive shaft did not move or appear loose. EPB works fine on steep hill.

Drove off and happened to go over a bit of frost damaged/bumpy road after which knocking/tapping stopped! Still a slight squeal from brake sometimes under gentle not firm braking.

Any ideas?

Tapping was probably a chunking stone trapped in your tyre tread.

Stone caught in the tread and/or between backplate and disc?

Inspect the tread and use your boyscout knife tool for removing stones from horse's hooves. Reverse at high speed to clear stone from backplate. 2008 MY Java Black TDV8 HSE

Hmm... Might have been. Tap did sound more mechanical than stone road noise though, it was a solid tap. I thought drive-shaft initially. I do have AT tyres and there are a lot of stones around here.

not compressor then ?

Does compressor make that noise? No errors on dash but I'll check IID

Drove it 10 miles with no sound/tapping then it came back again. Definitely not tyre/stone related.

Have you been off-road lately? 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
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Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Rear prop shaft centre bearing? 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
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Tim in Scotland wrote:

Have you been off-road lately?

Could be that start of the EPB shoes getting filled up with crud! Sounds like similar symptoms to when my EPB failed.  2003 BMW M5 - 5 Litres of V8 Optimax Slurping Goodness in Carbon Black

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Sound Clip

Made a quick sound clip of the noise with my iPhone stuck out the window going along slowly up a Welsh mountain road...

Sorry about the wind noise!

Well from previous experience I think we can rule out the stone stuck in the tyre tread or something stuck in the dirt guard around the brakes. When I have had something stuck in the Defender’s dirt guard it has been more of a squeal than a ticking noise. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Maybe a big stone hitting the inside of the wheel as it goes round? Though all the stones round here are pretty soft

That's not a stone, have you checked the rear drive shafts for reeds or anything wrapped round them ?

If there's nothing there then check the props (front and rear as the sound could be travelling).

Other than that I would check that the driveshafts aren't worn or loose hub/s.

Well...

Left the RRS for a few weeks then drove it round to my local garage. Tap-tap still going on but when took the owner out, it stopped again! Infuriating. Reversed the car and the sound came back. It did sound like the ABS system if its a ratchet type possibly? He's taken a look and "has ordered the parts" apparently & I'll find out exactly what it was next week.

Joys of a rural Welsh garage that specialises in (or otherwise sees a lot of) Land Rovers will be the hourly rate, so for once not too frightened about the bill I'll be getting (+service +MOT)