AN UNUSUAL pair of tourists dropped into the Bear Inn for a pint after travelling nearly 6,000 miles to be there.

The wooden brown bear models made it to the Alfred Street pub in Oxford on Sunday after making their way from Minnesota in the United States.

The Air Bears were launched by iconic trailer maker Airstream as part of an inter-continental geocaching game, where people carry an object as far as they can, with a mission to get all the way to the Bear Inn.

Their journey started in Maryland in September, but five months later the Air Bears had only made it as far as South Carolina, until they were picked up by accountant Luke Jones.

The 33-year-old moved to the States from Bristol in 2012 and found the bears with wife Rachael and three children – Carys, eight, Henry, seven, and three-year-old Bobby – during a geocaching hunt.


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The accountant said: “We were out geocaching in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and we found our target. It was hidden under a tree at the base of the trunk near a fishing pond.

“It had a lot of things in it and my kids swapped some of them for their own toys, but one of the things it had in it was this bear ornament.

“I logged it in online and I noticed its mission was to have a drink at the Bear Inn in Oxford.”

Last week Mr Jones returned to England to see his family and watch a football match at Wembley, and took a detour to visit Oxford on Sunday.

He said: “I thought I would contact the Bear Inn to see whether I might fulfil the bears’ mission.

“While it was outside opening hours, the pub gave me a cup of tea, and I don’t think the licensing laws ban giving beer to bears.”

Manager James Vernede said: “The idea of those little bears trying to get here and have a drink is nice.”

Head chef Toby Hookham welcomed the bears to the pub, where they will now stay. He said: “Once something has reached its goal you’re supposed to set it a new challenge or send it back where it came from.

“We’ve hung them above the bar for everyone to see and we’re going to challenge the original owners to come over and visit them here in Oxford.”