Windsor and Ascot. Twenty minutes from Heathrow, for the races, the golf and the school run.
The castle, the school, the Great Park, the racecourse and two of the best-known golf courses in England, all inside a triangle you can drive across in twenty minutes. Except in the third week of June.
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The area
A small triangle, heavily used
Windsor sits on the Thames with Eton immediately across the bridge. Ascot Racecourse is about six miles south of the castle and roughly seven miles from Heathrow. Between and around them are Windsor Great Park and the Long Walk, Sunningdale, and Virginia Water with the Wentworth Club at its centre, an area well placed for the M3, M4 and M25 and badly placed for anyone who guesses at the timings.
None of it is inside the Congestion Charge zone or the ULEZ, both of which stop at the Greater London boundary. A journey from here into central London crosses both, and that is handled by us and included in your quote rather than appearing afterwards.
Our own cars and our own chauffeurs cover this area from London every day. It is close enough that a car can be with you quickly and far enough that people book it properly rather than at twenty minutes' notice.
Journey times
From Windsor and Ascot by road
| To | Quiet roads | Busy periods |
|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | 20 to 30 minutes | 35 to 55 minutes |
| Farnborough | 30 to 45 minutes | 45 to 70 minutes |
| Ascot Racecourse from Windsor | 15 to 25 minutes | An hour or more on a race day |
| Wentworth and Sunningdale | 15 to 25 minutes | 30 to 50 minutes |
| Mayfair | 50 to 70 minutes | 75 to 115 minutes |
| Luton, private terminals | 60 to 80 minutes | 85 to 120 minutes |
| Gatwick | 55 to 75 minutes | 75 to 115 minutes |
| RAF Northolt | 35 to 50 minutes | 50 to 80 minutes |
Realistic ranges for planning, not promises. Race days and golf weeks are their own arithmetic and we quote them separately.
The two weeks that change everything
Racing in June, golf in September
Royal Ascot runs from Tuesday 15 to Saturday 19 June 2027. The Royal Procession is at two o'clock each afternoon and the first race follows at half past, which means the whole of Ascot, Sunninghill and the A329 and A330 approaches are saturated between eleven and one. Arrivals that look generous on paper are not. We drop as close as the day's arrangements allow, hold the car well outside the congestion and bring it back to a pre-agreed point when you are ready, which is usually long after the last race rather than immediately.
The BMW PGA Championship is played at Wentworth in Virginia Water in September and does much the same thing to the roads around Virginia Water and Sunningdale for the best part of a week, with the Wednesday pro-am adding its own traffic. Both weeks fill local hotels a long way ahead, so people increasingly stay in London or at a country house and are driven in and out each day.
The school calendar matters too. Eton's term dates, half terms and the Fourth of June put a heavy, predictable load on Windsor Bridge and the roads through Eton and Datchet, and a Saturday exeat morning is not the time to leave twenty minutes for a nine mile drive.
What people book here
The usual arrangements
- Heathrow and Farnborough transfers for residents, with the same chauffeur each time
- Race day cars for Royal Ascot and the other fixtures, with a hold and a pre-agreed collection point
- Golf weeks at Wentworth and Sunningdale, including guests arriving from several directions
- A car at your disposal for a day at the castle, the Great Park and lunch somewhere in between
- School runs and exeat weekends around Eton, Windsor and Sunningdale
- Weddings and private parties at country houses across east Berkshire and south Buckinghamshire
- The corporate day out: a V-Class for six, or two S-Class saloons, from a London office and back
Where people go
The fixed points
Ascot Racecourse
Royal Ascot in June and a full fixture list either side of it. Access, drop-offs and the long wait afterwards all planned in advance.
Wentworth Club
Virginia Water, and the BMW PGA Championship each September.
Windsor Castle and the Great Park
The castle, the Long Walk, the Savill Garden and the polo at Smith's Lawn.
Eton and the Windsor schools
Term dates, half terms and exeats, driven by people who know the bridge.
Country houses
Coworth Park at Ascot, Cliveden at Taplow, Fairmont Windsor Park at Englefield Green and the rest of the Thames valley.
Heathrow, minutes away
The reason a great many people live here. Twenty to thirty minutes on quiet roads.
Nearby
Related pages
Request a quote
Tell us the day
For a race day or a golf week, tell us how many people, where they are coming from and roughly when you expect to leave. We will build the timings backwards from there.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Windsor and Ascot
When is Royal Ascot 2027?
Tuesday 15 to Saturday 19 June 2027, with the Royal Procession at two o'clock each day and the first race at half past two. More on the Royal Ascot page.
How early should we leave for the racecourse?
Much earlier than the distance suggests. The approaches saturate late morning, so we plan arrival well before the Procession and treat the map time as the best case, not the plan.
Does the Congestion Charge apply out here?
No. Neither it nor the ULEZ reaches Windsor or Ascot. A journey into London crosses both, and they are included in your quote.
Is Heathrow really that close?
Yes. Ascot Racecourse is about seven miles from Heathrow and Windsor about nine, which on quiet roads is twenty to thirty minutes. It is the single biggest reason people choose to live here.
Can you take a group of six?
Yes, in a Mercedes-Benz V-Class, or in two saloons if people are arriving separately. For larger parties, ask us what we can arrange.