Our Richmond is the oldest Richmond in the world, but it's not the only Richmond in the world - as our Information Centre volunteers are often reminded!
We regularly get phone enquiries about tube trains to London and cruises down the river. Several theatre-goers have bought tickets at our Georgian Theatre Royal, meaning to go to a play in Richmond-upon-Thames; and one Coast-to-Coast walker accidentally booked a celebratory tea at the Ivy Brasserie, 250 miles away to the south. Then there were the 'Ted Lasso' fans from New Zealand who thought they were visiting the home of AFC Richmond - but had a wonderful time anyway.
Further afield, other Richmonds can cause confusion. An emailer from Johannesburg wanted a B&B near Richmond in the Karoo Desert; and a caller from Queensland, Australia asked, "Is the road from Richmond to Julia Creek still blocked?" That caused a bit of head-scratching. We knew that the top road to Reeth was blocked by snow, but "Julia Creek"? Then there was the would-be volunteer who called off his exploratory visit when he realised we were not in Richmond, Virginia.
It's not just the other Richmonds which lead visitors astray. There was the courier heard ringing his boss to say: "I've just arrived in Ripon, and I can't find that road..." Most bizarrely, one phone caller wanted to know the best route up Carnedd Llewellyn - which is a mountain in North Wales.
One of our volunteers leads town tours while dressed as a Victorian policeman. A visitor from France asked him the way to the Police Station. Did she think Richmond was trapped in a 200-year old time warp?
"Where's the Castle?" is in some ways a very reasonable question, given that our nearly 1000-year old castle is one of Richmond's main attractions. But the front entrance is literally 20 yards from our Information Centre, and the massive tower looms over the Market Place.
"Where do the trains go to from the station?" Another reasonable question. However, our handsome Victorian railway terminus - The Station - is now a thriving multi-activity building which offers food, drink, art and films. We hope none of our enquirers needed the last train back to Northallerton - it left 57 years ago.
How about: "Is that the way to the river?" (pointing uphill). In fairness, that may have been from one of our many visitors from the Netherlands, where a quarter of the land is below river level.
"Where can I get an emergency pedicure?" Not such an odd enquiry, in a way: we're on the Coast-to-Coast Trail, so we get quite a few weary walkers taking a day off and booking some foot care. But this lady was headed for a wedding, in her finery and in a panic. We were able to suggest somewhere, but we never did learn whether she found the right toenail polish.
Our visitors do come up with some amazing challenges for us - that's why we love volunteering in the Information Centre.
PS: if you'd like to join our friendly team of volunteers, just drop in, chat with a volunteer and leave your details. Or email judith@richmondinfo.net and we'll get back to you.