Clocktower Cars runs licensed taxis, minicabs, cabs and airport cars in Claygate, booked through our Chessington office on 0208 397 4747, twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year.
Claygate is an affluent suburban village of about 7,200 people, fourteen miles south-west of central London, and the only civil parish in the borough of Elmbridge. Postcode district KT10. It adjoins Esher to the west and Hinchley Wood to the north, with green belt to the south and east. If you would rather not ring, the online booking form takes the same details and comes back with a quoted price before you travel.
Airport work is far and away the commonest thing people want from Claygate, and the numbers here are not what most residents expect.
| Airport | Route | Distance | Drive | Average speed | By public transport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | A308 | 11.6 miles | ~46 min | ~15 mph | ~1 hr 20 min |
| Heathrow | Hampton Ct Way / A309 | 11.4 miles | ~46 min | ~15 mph | — |
| Gatwick | M25 and M23 | 26.0 miles | ~40 min | ~39 mph | ~1 hr 13 min |
| Gatwick | M25 | 32.8 miles | ~41 min | ~48 mph | — |
Heathrow is only 11.6 miles from Claygate and still takes about 46 minutes. That is an average of roughly fifteen miles an hour — the slowest leg per mile we have measured anywhere in our service area. There is no motorway option and no clever back route: the two sensible ways differ by two-tenths of a mile and take exactly the same time.
The practical consequence is simple: allow the full three-quarters of an hour, and more in the morning peak. People look at eleven miles and budget twenty-five minutes, and that is how flights get missed. Our airport transfer service covers every Heathrow terminal and we will tell you the departure time when you book.
Gatwick is 26.0 miles and about 40 minutes — further than Heathrow by more than double, and quicker, because it is motorway almost the whole way. There is also a 32.8-mile M25 route that takes about 41 minutes: nearly seven miles of difference for one minute.
That pair of facts is the whole argument for quoting a job rather than charging by the mile, and it is why we do not publish a mileage rate. Our Gatwick transfer service covers both terminals, and Luton and Stansted are both long M25 runs worth booking the night before.
Coming home, our meet and greet service puts a driver inside the terminal with a board carrying your name. We watch the flight, so a delay moves the pickup rather than costing you the car. On a 46-minute Heathrow run at one in the morning that is worth having arranged in advance.
Claygate railway station opened in 1885 on the New Guildford Line. South Western Railway operates all services, running to London Waterloo via Surbiton and to Guildford via Effingham Junction. The station sits at the top of The Parade, which is the larger of Claygate’s two shopping areas and runs on into Hare Lane.
There is no rank at Claygate with cars waiting through the evening. A delayed Waterloo service arriving near midnight is the worst possible moment to start looking for a cab. Tell us the train you intend to be on and we will be outside when it pulls in; ring if you miss it and we will move the booking rather than charge you for it.
Claygate’s trains run to Waterloo via Surbiton, and Surbiton itself has the faster and more frequent service. For an early start, a journey with luggage, or an evening when the New Guildford Line is not behaving, a car to Surbiton is often the quicker way into London. Tell us where you are actually going and we will say which makes sense.
A hackney carriage — the black cab — can be hailed in the street or taken from a rank. A private hire vehicle, which is what a minicab is, must be booked in advance through a licensed operator. Claygate has no rank and nothing cruising for fares, so every car you get here is pre-booked private hire whichever word you use. Same driver, same licensed vehicle, same number. Our minicab versus black cab page has the fuller explanation.
Tell us passengers and bags. Four adults with four large cases will not fit in a saloon, and a 46-minute Heathrow run is not the moment to find that out.
Claygate has two shopping areas. The Parade is the larger, starting at the railway station and continuing into Hare Lane; the Old Village is the other. Say which one you mean when you book — they are a walk apart and “the shops” is not enough to go on at eleven at night.
The neo-Gothic Victorian edifice built by Lord Foley, standing above the village with views over the surrounding countryside. A useful landmark and a straightforward pickup point.
Green belt land wraps the village to the south and east, taking in Claygate Common, Princes Covert, Winney Hill and Telegraph Hill. Lovely walking and almost entirely unlit, which makes late-afternoon winter collections a regular job. Give us a road or a car park and a rough time rather than a point on the common.
Claygate appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Claigate, a manor of Thames Ditton — which is why it is administered from Esher today and still feels like its own place rather than a suburb of either.
Claygate’s school journeys run out towards Esher, Hinchley Wood, Surbiton and Thames Ditton, and the roads between them are narrow, residential and slow at half past eight. Our school run service uses the same named drivers on a standing account, so the child is collected by someone they recognise rather than a different face each week. Child seats fitted to order — tell us the age.
Our wheelchair accessible vehicles load by ramp, so the passenger stays in their own chair and is properly secured for the journey, with drivers trained on the restraints rather than improvising at the kerb. Book ahead where you can — there are fewer accessible vehicles than saloons and they are usually committed on a weekday morning.
Dogs travel in our pet friendly cars. Say so when you book, because it means a specific vehicle and a driver expecting it rather than a favour asked at the door. An estate takes a crate comfortably — which, with Princes Covert and the common on the doorstep, is usually what is wanted.
Our medical transport service books the outward and return together, and the driver waits rather than leaving you to find a car afterwards. After a procedure, or a clinic that has overrun, that is worth a great deal more than the fare difference.
A corporate account turns expense claims into one monthly invoice and gives you a booking line that already knows your address, your usual vehicle and who may book on the account. For clients and anything where the arrival matters, executive travel in Surrey puts a suited driver in a quiet car. And our same day courier service moves documents, samples and keys across Surrey and into London the same day with the same licensed drivers.
We quote the job rather than publishing a rate per mile. Claygate is the clearest demonstration in our whole area of why that is the honest way to do it.
Ring 0208 397 4747 or use the booking form, give us the postcode, the time and the number of bags, and you will have a price before you travel. No meter, no argument at the far end.
Our offices are on the branch locator, with addresses and numbers on the find us page.
0208 397 4747 — our Chessington office, which takes Claygate bookings twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year. You can also use the online booking form.
About 46 minutes, for only 11.6 miles — an average of roughly fifteen miles an hour, and the slowest leg per mile anywhere in our area. There is no quicker route: the two sensible ways differ by two-tenths of a mile and take the same time. Allow the full three-quarters of an hour, and more in the morning peak. Measured 29 September 2026.
Gatwick, despite being more than twice as far. Gatwick is 26.0 miles and about 40 minutes; Heathrow is 11.6 miles and about 46 minutes. Gatwick is nearly all motorway; Heathrow is all traffic lights.
It depends on the terminal, the hour, the size of car and whether you want meeting in arrivals — so we quote the job rather than publishing a mileage rate. Claygate shows why better than anywhere: a per-mile rate would charge you more than twice as much for Gatwick, which is the quicker journey. Ring 0208 397 4747 or use the booking form for a price before you travel.
Yes, and it is a regular job — particularly late, after the New Guildford Line has thinned out. Book it before you go out rather than at the end of the evening, and we will be where you ask at the time you ask.
The New Guildford Line. The station opened in 1885 and South Western Railway operates all services, running to London Waterloo via Surbiton and to Guildford via Effingham Junction.
Surrey — it is the only civil parish in the borough of Elmbridge, fourteen miles south-west of central London, administered from Esher. Historically it was a manor of Thames Ditton, which is why it appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Claigate.
Not in practice. A black cab can be hailed; a minicab — a private hire vehicle — must be pre-booked through a licensed operator. Claygate has no rank and no cruising trade, so every car here is pre-booked private hire whichever word you use.
Yes, but book it. There is no rank with cars waiting through the evening. Tell us the train you mean to be on and we will be outside when it arrives; ring if you miss it and we move the booking rather than charging for it.
Yes — ramp-loading vehicles where the passenger stays in their own chair, with drivers trained on the restraints. Book ahead where you can, as there are fewer of them than saloons.
Yes, in a pet friendly vehicle. Mention it when booking so the right car and driver are sent. An estate takes a crate without difficulty.
Yes — twenty-four hours, every day of the year, Christmas included. Early Heathrow runs from Claygate need more time than people expect, so book them the night before.
Licensed drivers, quoted fares, twenty-four hours a day, covering Claygate, The Parade, the Old Village and out to Esher and Hinchley Wood. Call 0208 397 4747 or book online.
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