Capel is one of the quietest corners TW Kings Cars covers — a scattered Wealden parish of orchards, hop gardens and narrow lanes three miles east of Tonbridge, taking in the hamlet of Five Oak Green and the fields around Church Lane. There's no high street to speak of, which is exactly why a reliable local taxi matters more here than in the town centre: get the pickup point wrong down these lanes and you can lose ten minutes before you've even started.
TW Kings Cars has been running cars in and out of Capel and the wider TN12 area long enough to know the shortcuts around Five Oak Green, the state of the lanes near the river after heavy rain, and which routes actually save time versus the satnav's guess. Every fare is fixed before you travel, drivers hold enhanced DBS checks, and cars run round the clock — whether that's a short hop into Tonbridge or an early transfer to Gatwick.
The Grade I-listed Church of St Thomas à Becket sits down Church Lane, just off the B2017, and is one of the more unusual landmarks in this part of the Weald. Now cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust rather than in regular parish use, it's open to visitors daily and holds 12th and 13th-century wall paintings depicting Cain and Abel and Christ's entry into Jerusalem — rare survivals that were only rediscovered under later whitewash in 1927. In the churchyard stands the ancient yew tree Thomas Becket is said to have preached beneath, giving the settlement around it its name.
It's a peaceful spot but not an easy one to reach without a car — no bus route runs down Church Lane, and the car park fills quickly on open days. TW Kings Cars picks up and drops off here regularly for visitors, local dog walkers, and residents in the farmhouses and cottages scattered around the church, with the same fixed local pricing that applies anywhere else in the parish.
Paddock Wood station, around 2.5 miles from central Capel, is the nearest railway link for most of the parish, sitting on both the South Eastern Main Line and the Medway Valley Line. From there it's a direct run into London Charing Cross or London Bridge, or a change for Maidstone and the Medway towns — useful for Capel residents who don't fancy the drive to Tonbridge station instead.
TW Kings Cars runs regular transfers to and from Paddock Wood for early commuters and late arrivals alike, when the last bus has gone or the walk down unlit lanes isn't appealing. Fixed local pricing applies, and drivers know the quickest route out of the village depending on which end of the parish you're picked up from.
A few miles from Capel, in the neighbouring parish of Tudeley, sits All Saints Church — internationally known as the only church in the world with a complete set of stained glass windows by Marc Chagall. Visitors touring the wall paintings at St Thomas à Becket often combine the trip with the short drive over to Tudeley to see the Chagall glass, and the two churches are frequently mentioned in the same breath by people planning a day exploring Kent's quieter heritage sites.
It's a journey most people would rather not attempt on foot given the lack of pavements along the connecting lanes, and taxi is the simplest way to link the two without needing two cars or a long walk. TW Kings Cars covers this route regularly, with fixed pricing agreed before you set off rather than a meter running while you're admiring stained glass.
| From | To | Fixed Price | Est. Journey Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capel | Gatwick Airport | £85 | ~50 mins |
| Capel | Heathrow Airport | £125 | ~80 mins |
| Capel | Stansted Airport | £140 | ~85 mins |
| Capel | Luton Airport | £155 | ~105 mins |
| Capel | London City Airport | £135 | ~70 mins |
| Capel | Tunbridge Wells Centre | from £15 | ~18 mins |
Find out more about TW Kings Cars taxi and airport transfer services across Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding Kent villages.