The small town of Richmond, Northern Cape, is situated on the N1 roughly half way between Cape Town and Johannesburg and equally half way between the two major Karoo towns of Colesberg and Beaufort West. Placed in the heart of the Great Karoo Desert, which the locals like to describe as the World's best developed desert, Richmond is ideally situated as the perfect stop over but perhaps more as a point of departure to explore the wonders of the Karoo.

Richmond Northern Cape

The area surrounding Richmond is blessed with miles and miles of remote and stunningly beautiful mountains, and plains upon which Springboks in their teeming millions grazed only a century ago. Now most sheep farmers keep herds of these beautiful animals in addition to Kudu, Gemsbok, Blesbok, and Hartebeest. The grazing on the vast veldt surrounding Richmond is very good so the world famous "Karoo lamb" meal is a must whilst in town. Most of the guest houses and restaurants in Richmond will be happy to oblige the traveller with a well cooked Karoo lamb choppie!

The climate of Richmond makes it a superb place to live, whether, permanently as does the resident population or as a place to keep a dorp huis as is becoming ever more popular with South African city dwellers. Summers are warm sunny and dry with the odd shower to make the locals happy. Winters are cool and can be down right cold at times, with snow common in the surrounding mountains. Winters are however the ideal time to sit near the fire place or perhaps the Aga stove with a cup of hot coffee and a good book.

The village has a fully staffed South African Police Service station as well as a Metro Highway Police office whose officers patrol the national highway. Richmond has a resident Medical Doctors. We are proud of the fact that crime, whilst a factor everyone must be aware of in South Africa, is on a very low scale in and around the village and in no small part we attribute this to the presence of constant police and traffic patrols. An evening walk along the town's fully lit streets is something which is a long gone aspect of life elsewhere in South Africa. Richmond is proudly still a backwater town!

Life in the village revolves around the thriving farming community, comprised of some 30 young farmers and their families. The Platteland is alive and well in Richmond. The locals have a booming social calendar centered around the Golf Club (the cinder "greens" can't be all that bad as a local farmer recently won the SA National Amateur golf title!), Tennis Club and the Grys Paleis/Country Club.
Many farmers are available to take visitors on tours on the rough back roads of their farms to witness the solitude which is unique to the Great Karoo; no noise, no cell-phone coverage and sunsets to die for. To crack a bottle of Stellenbosch's best as the sun sets over the stark, stratified, ancient hills is a memorable Karoo experience. Some of the local farmers have constructed very rustic stone cabins on remote hills on their farms where visitors are guaranteed a few days of the ultimate in peace, quiet and tranquility. 
Richmond has many wonderful rustic bed and breakfast guest houses, as well as motels and lodges, suitable to every travellers' taste. Many of the guest houses will gladly provide evening meals and there are also three restaurants in town offering a glimpse of Karoo living to the out of town visitor.
The town also has a museum dedicated to the horse, one of only two in the world; the other being in Kentucky.
Make a point of visiting our village when you are next on the long slog to or from the Mother City. It will certainly be a memorable experience and who knows you may very well fall in love with one of South Africa's best kept secrets.

For any information regarding Richmond or this site,
please send an email to pcbaker@pcbaker.co.za