Two American tourists have made a pilgrimage to a small West Devon village which bears their surname.

Father and son Mike and Devon Yelverton enjoyed a hectic whistle-stop tour of the usual visitor British honeypot stops - the Tower of London, Edinburgh, Bath and Stonehenge - and, of all places, Yelverton.

The pair, who are golfing fanatics, had never been to Yelverton before and had no reason to do so, because they did not even know it existed until Devon was given some school home work.

When he was told to research his family tree by teachers, little did he and his dad know they had the same name as an English village.

Having discovered the link, they vowed to visit their namesake settlement, but what sealed the trip was the discovery that they could play their favourite game at Yelverton Golf Club.

So, they chose Devon’s thirtieth birthday to embark on a typically American busy schedule with the compulsory golf rounds at Turnberry and St Andrews courses.

During their two-night stop in Yelverton they drew breath and said Devon was merely a ‘good’ christian name for his son and then explained the Yelverton background.

Mike, 56, a nursing superintendent in Georgia, said: “It’s really fantastic here in Yelverton and Devon. We have Dartmoor and the sheep and ponies just outside the door and amazing views of the mountains.

“We feel so much at home in England. Everything’s so green and so near. The first time I came here was 21 years ago and it’s fantastic to be here with my son.

“We thought nothing much of our surname, my dad always said it was a German name. But we didn’t look into it seriously until Devon was given a genetic family tree project to work on at home. Then we discovered Yelverton existed and that it has a golf course - so we came and love it.”