Dartmouth's namesake Yanks are coming – with a wish list itinerary which includes a visit to the castle, a tour of the town's naval college and steam railway and river trip.

The US party of up to 45 strong, from Dartmouth, Massachusetts, is looking at paying a visit to Dartmouth UK some time in September or October this year.

The aim is to link up with local people with the possibility of a Dartmouth to Dartmouth return visit next year – which will be the 350th anniversary of the USA town's foundation.

Now town councillors are sorting out whether to stage a special civic reception to give the US visitors a real Dartmouth welcome.

And Mayor Paul Allen warned that the town could look a little red-faced if the US town throws a party for its UK visitors when Dartmouth UK did not bother.

He said that it did not have to be a 'grand wine and champagne reception' but could simply be a get together with 'tea and sausage rolls'.

Dartmouth Town Council has been corresponding with the Massachusetts town for months now over the US visit.

Now the town's general purposes committee has ordered the formation of a special working group to try and co-ordinate the visit.

A report to the council revealed that the USA visitors are keen to visit various sites of interest while they are on their four-day visit to the UK.

That includes a stop off at Stonehenge on the way from Heathrow to Dartmouth.

And when they get to Dartmouth they want to visit the BRNC, the castle, the museum and even take a round robin trip on the Dart and Kingswear steam rail line.

They also want to try to sort out links with Dartmouth Academy – and have some free time to shop and eat in the town.

The town council committee chairman Felicity Smith said the US visitors were also asking for help in sorting out a group rate for bed and breakfast accommodation for the party.

She also said the US visitors had suggested that a party from Dartmouth UK could make a return visit to the USA some time in June next year.

'There is some interest in the town already,' said Mrs Smith.

She said that the town councillors would have to liaise with the town's finance committee about finding any cash for a civic reception while the US visitors would be paying for everything else.

With a population of more than 34,000 Dartmouth Massachusetts is almost five times the size of Devon's Dartmouth.

Over the years the two Dartmouths have maintained fairly loose links although a party from the US town visited here just over a decade ago and a local contingent of around a dozen people – including the then mayor Richard Rendle – visited the US town in 2001.

Dartmouth, Massachusetts, was settled in 1650 by Quakers trying to getaway from the 'Founding Father' Puritans in Plymouth who had turned up on the Mayflower in 1620.

The land for the town was bought from the local Indians for 30 yards of cloth, eight moose skins, 15 axes, 15 hoes, 15 pairs of shoes, one iron pot and ten shillings worth of assorted goods.

The new town of Dartmouth was officially incorporated in1664.