Sounds like bird poop , my wifes black Fl2 had a couple of patches where it had been bombed on .It was repaired very effectively by a good smart repair .

Mark 2009 FL2 TD4 SE (Sadly gone)
2007 FL2 TD4 GS (The wifes , gone after 8 great years)
2012 FL2 SD4 SPORT LE(Gone and missing it)
2015 DISCOVERY SPORT 2.2SD4 HSE (Now gone)
2014 Ford Bmax 1.0 ecoboost ( Gone but what next )
2014 Ford Focus 2.0tdci Zetec S (Gone,but what a car)
2020 Ford Fiesta ActiveX 1.0 Ecoboost
2024 Skoda Kodiaq 1.5 Tsi SEL

Lord Rich Tea Biscuit wrote:

Out of interest, how much did you pay for your ChipsAway work?

My chap charged me £168 to respray the front wing, front door and polish out a faint scratch on rear door Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

That's pretty good! Yorkshire prices?
My local bodyshop put labour at £420, paint at £265, plus VAT and plus parts. I asked around and the others locally were similar. That's to remove the trim, spray front door and lower trim, and shade in the paint on the wing and rear door. Ex AA Series III LWB Safari - Gone
300TDi Disco (bought new - terrible car) sent back after 18 months
Freelander 1 Estate - leased, given back at end of lease
200TDi Disco (bought from a mate with 100,000 on the clock) - Gone
Disco 2 TD5 - sold and exported to France
FR2 TD4 GS - Gone
FR2 SD4 HSE - Now changed for a DS
New model ex-demo Evoque S 180 in white
Unable to order a new DS, so gave up. Now have a Volvo S90 Recharge.

Hmm...
Well the cheaper option sounds tempting at the £400+ price for a bodyshop job.

I'm not sure whether I can get away with multiple smart repairs or whether the whole roof needs to be done.

The roof is a good whole panel though- it is bordered by trim on both sides and by the windscreen and boot lid, so I don't think the colour match would be an issue. "We're in danger, we've got to get out."
"What are you talking about?"
"I've been called a ponce."

Get a few estimates? The chipsaway man will come to you. Other shops will e-mail you an estimate in a few days. All will discuss what needs doing. I agree with you that colour matching shouldn't be a problem on a roof.
as regards quality, yes Gordon (he does the Cambridge area - not sure if he goes out as far as you) did say that he's seen some previous chipsaway jobs and been shocked at the quality. He implied that things have improved. Ex AA Series III LWB Safari - Gone
300TDi Disco (bought new - terrible car) sent back after 18 months
Freelander 1 Estate - leased, given back at end of lease
200TDi Disco (bought from a mate with 100,000 on the clock) - Gone
Disco 2 TD5 - sold and exported to France
FR2 TD4 GS - Gone
FR2 SD4 HSE - Now changed for a DS
New model ex-demo Evoque S 180 in white
Unable to order a new DS, so gave up. Now have a Volvo S90 Recharge.

Another option is to get the roof wrapped.

A roof wrap...
Is this durable, will it go in all the troughs, and does it last?

I doubt it'll need a full wrap, but that is an idea.  "We're in danger, we've got to get out."
"What are you talking about?"
"I've been called a ponce."

Right, update on the paint peel situation...

After a wash this afternoon, I decided to take a closer inspection of my paintwork and grab some photos.

It turns out that 2 areas of my bonnet are also affected by this paint cracking/peeling problem:





Here are the areas on the roof which are affected:













Looking at the areas affected as well as the size/shapes, I have come to the conclusion that this is certainly NOT bird droppings- at least not entirely anyway.

From what I can work out, the vehicle spent a large part of it's life in North London.

So it seems that a full roof respray may be required- probably with a lot of prep work too.  "We're in danger, we've got to get out."
"What are you talking about?"
"I've been called a ponce."

useful page could be guano

So... after reading that article, Freelanders are not normally prone to this "crows feet" effect, right?

What kind of "industrial fallout" would be so severe to cause this if it's on the bonnet as well?

Surely this can't happen to every other Freelander or Range Rover that happens to be driven around London.

If only I could discover this was a "Friday afternoon" paint job at the Landy factory... "We're in danger, we've got to get out."
"What are you talking about?"
"I've been called a ponce."

My wifes FL2 has a very small patch on the bonnet that looks like your second photo but not as bad, only notice it when it's clean and light hits it at the right angle.
I don't know what caused it but it looks nothing like the way the paint went on a black Ford I had that took a direct hit from a seagull. Mine, Saab convertible
Hers, MY08 GS auto

So, today I've been to the bodyshop for an estimate and have been told that some areas of roof have been re-sprayed previously. Interesting, as I couldn't tell that, but the bodyshop chap could tell by the feel of the paint in places.
It's going to be a full panel job anyway.

My local insurance-approved body centre have quoted me £606 inc VAT for the roof panel alone.
I have since discovered another small patch of cracking paint on the nearside C-pillar.
When's it going to stop...

The thing must have been parked under a tree at some point!

As for the bonnet...
I guess a replacement bonnet is an option.
Anyone breaking one in Stornoway Grey?  "We're in danger, we've got to get out."
"What are you talking about?"
"I've been called a ponce."