Richmond is easy to miss, but if you do visit, it's hard to leave

Halfway between Cape Town and Joburg sits the historic town of Richmond. Ordinary-looking at first glance, it has a delightful character. By Reid Donson

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Richmond was founded in 1844 and has many historic buildings.

(Ian Smit)

Twins Ian and Hennie Smit had worked as builders on the Cape Flats in Cape Town throughout their adult lives.

Putting in hours upon hours of manual labour each day, they always contended with the ever-quickening pace of the city.

The two brothers, who were inseparable, decided that they would retire at 50, after which they would travel all over South Africa to look for a quieter place to settle.

One night, they slept over in the small town of Richmond in the Northern Cape. The next morning, they said to each other: "This is the place." And a year later, they moved to Richmond, which lies in the province's central Karoo region.

That was eight years ago. Today, Ian runs multiple businesses in Richmond, including an antique shop that is the information hub of the town. "Richmond is the town you almost missed," says Ian.

He is right. Richmond is almost hidden away, easy to overlook while driving past on the N1. "If you turned down here, there is something you had to do here," says Ian.

"If you're lucky enough not to miss it, you always come back."

Book town

Entering Richmond, it's easy to think you have entered a ghost town. Parts of the town even look abandoned. However, stay a little longer and you will realise that quiet does not mean dead.