Feint Whining Noise from Gearbox(?) at 50+ mph

[StumpyBloke]

Hi all, I've just bought a 2011 1.6 Titanium 3d manual and am really pleased with it, except for one thing:

...there is a "whine" noise when doing 50+ which cannot be heard over the radio because it's quite slight and stops if I press in the clutch.

I'm pretty sure it still does it if I go down to 4th gear whilst at the same speed (engine noise drowns it out I guess then). I've looked on the Internet and there are others with seemingly the same issue which apparently is normal. Does this sound familiar to any of you guys? Someone described it as an earth humming noise. Which whilst that isn't what it is, describes it well.

Thanks

[Macky001]

I have the same issue with my 1.25 zetec also a faint wine, mine also dose it on idle and gose off and on as you dip the cluch had this on others cars where I work and a lot of the time has been a dry thrust bearing in the gearbox though mine has been like this for a year now and I hasn't got any worse so just left it.