Happy Days at Bernies - filmed by the late Buster Wright


https://youtu.be/xanEc1nZV0M

Happy memories - I seem to remember the original ?Bernie? serving ones breakfast with a weeks worth of stubble like Steptoe and a fag hanging from his mouth. Probably in the mid 70?s. Anyone remember his name?

We also used to frequent ?The Fountain? round the corner which was run by three old ladies. On one occasion DH had started living with a Nurse who had turned him vegetarian. How we did laugh when he asked if they did vegetarian sausages and they just looked blankly at him.

When his full English arrived it was exactly the same as usual-including black pudding. He took one look at it and told us not to tell his new girlfriend - saying ?Anything served here does not count?.

blackshiver said:

Happy memories - I seem to remember the original ?Bernie? serving ones breakfast with a weeks worth of stubble like Steptoe and a fag hanging from his mouth. Probably in the mid 70?s. Anyone remember his name?

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Bernard and Alice Ollerenshaw had the caf? at that time, but I don't remember Bernard ever smoking.  Bernard and Alice were a lovely couple. It was known by its frequenters as Bernies then, but it was Steve Round that changed its official name to Bernies.

What was it called originally?

My memories of Bernies started with 'Son of Bernie' and fried hot dog sausages. The breakfasts were placed on a table and not identified to a customer at first....the scrum was most amusing. Eventually a ticket system was introduced to prevent fights and mess.

Happy days....

And for some chap's 60th birthday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocZjLuYgenw

langcliffe said:

Bernard and Alice Ollerenshaw

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Sorry - Robertshaw.

It's official name (pre Steve Round) was the "Lonsdale Snack Bar".

It was indeed Alice & Bernard Robertshaw. I don't remember ever seeing Bernard smoking. One of his hands was quite severely deformed but he could deliver multiple breakfast orders as good as anyone. ("Ollerenshaw" is the surname of the family which runs Blue John Cavern in the Peak District.)

I was introduced to Bernie's when I'd only just turned a teenager. I remember how exciting it was at that age to be in a place where you could meet so many famous cavers!

Incidentally there is some footage of an interview with Bear & Geoff in one of the bay windows in the "Underground Eiger" film - and (from memory) this includes a very brief clip of Bernie going about his business.

Pitlamp said:

Incidentally there is some footage of an interview with Bear & Geoff in one of the bay windows in the "Underground Eiger" film - and (from memory) this includes a very brief clip of Bernie going about his business.

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Here it is, the bit you are talking about is at 17:40:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbkA8KA81SM&t=201s

The Fountains cafe was run by Jean and Vera.  Lovely ladies who put up with a lot of hungover cavers. 

Thanks Paul, nice one!

I miss seeing Steve Round at Bernies. Used to go in there regularly myself. Did a good job there and he was a regular presence at Hidden Earth with his stand in the corner of the trade hall.  I personally didn't rate the Fountain too highly although most mof my friends seem to prefer it.  Service dead slow in the Fountain - it would take them 45 minutes just to do me a bowl of cornflakes!

Double breakfast with beans (and chips if it was late enough) in Fountains was only topped by the gargantuan feed at the Pennine Pantry in Alston prior to trips in Ayleburn. Halcyon days.

blackshiver said:

We also used to frequent ?The Fountain? round the corner which was run by three old ladies. On one occasion DH had started living with a Nurse who had turned him vegetarian. How we did laugh when he asked if they did vegetarian sausages and they just looked blankly at him.

When his full English arrived it was exactly the same as usual-including black pudding. He took one look at it and told us not to tell his new girlfriend - saying ?Anything served here does not count?.

Click to expand...

The opposite happened to a friend of mine when he asked for a vegetarian breakfast in The Fountain. Same blank look from the young girl taking the order but his breakfast turned out to be the same as the rest of ours, just without any meat - which didn't leave a lot else! The look on his face!! 

All sorts of memories of Bernies, but one day sticks in my mind.

Some friends had made a breakthrough and wanted to confirm a link between their new extension and the original route down the cave. The plan was to find someone suitable to follow a small wet crawl and remove any doubt.

Having been recruited the night before all I had to do was grab a breakfast and we were off.
Being the only non local and only one who needed a breakfast meant all eyes were on me!

Finding a cafe was no problem.
Placing an order was no problem.
Getting a seat at a table was no problem.
Waiting a while was no problem.
Waiting another while was no problem.
Hearing numbers nowhere near mine may have started to be a problem.
Watching the pressure rise in Watto's expression was becoming a problem.
The pressure building in Watto really was a problem.
If Watto blew I knew it would be a problem.

Then it happened - Watto blew!

He snatched my order number from my grasp.
Snatched a random breakfast from the young lad serving.
Thrust the number into the the worried lads hand.
Told him it was now my breakfast and we had waited long enough.

I am not sure if was happy to receive the breakfast after waiting well over an hour, but I was very clear - I had to eat the breakfast fast before Watto's frustration turned to me and show gratitude.

The day was then set in stone as after that day out "Late Breakfast Series" was named in honour of an excessively drawn out Bernies experience.

Wardy

I've always wondered about that, Wardy. Thanks for clearing up the mystery!

Lucky you didn't get a 'Watto Burger' for breakfast instead. 

Wardy said:

"Late Breakfast Series" was named

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What cave / pot is that located in?

Long Kin West