18/09/2026
LONG POST ALERT… grab a brew ☕️ because I’ve got a lot to say!
Where It All Began 🧐
Over the last 8 years, I’ve absolutely loved being a roving trader.
Shanti Tea Boat originally started life as a holistic therapy boat with a little pop-up café on the Calder & Hebble Canal, then the Rochdale Canal, before I spent some time on the beautiful Leeds & Liverpool Canal.
Eventually, I headed back to the Aire & Calder and the South Yorkshire Navigation during lockdown.
And that’s really where the café side of things took off… and Shanti Tea Boat was officially born. 💜
From Therapy Boat to Floating Café
Fast forward to today and she’s grown into the little floating café so many of you know and love.
It hasn’t always been easy. In fact, it’s been bloody hard work at times 😂 but I genuinely LOVE my floating life.
But over the last few years, I’ve seen some really big changes across our canals.
Constant stoppages, broken stretches of canal, unpredictable weather, services disappearing, parking and facilities being removed, increasing numbers of abandoned/unlicensed boats and a generally much busier canal system… the list goes on.
And unfortunately, all of these things have an impact on small businesses like mine.
I’ve now lost four of my regular trading locations along the Aire & Calder, plus a few locations where I’ve been made to feel very unwelcome, so I’d be reluctant to revisit.
In many of the other places I used to visit, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to guarantee a safe, accessible and visible place to moor when I arrive.
That means I can’t plan ahead like I used to.
And that makes it really difficult for me to tell you lovely lot where I’ll be from one week to the next. 😔
What About Support?
CRT have previously said they would support me as much as they could, and we’ve even talked about the possibility of designated moorings for traders… but so far, nothing has materialised.
So… what does this mean for my little floating café?
Honestly, I don’t know yet. 😢
Yes, I could move onto another canal network — that’s technically the whole point of being a roving trader — but the problem is…
MY PEOPLE ARE HERE. 💜
You lot have supported Shanti Tea Boat from the very beginning, and I don’t want to just disappear off to somewhere else.
So I’ve started looking into securing a fixed trading location at Lemonroyd.
It could potentially give me the stability to actually plan ahead, let you know when I’m going to be open and create a proper little Shanti destination.
BUT…
I’ve been looking at the figures and, at the moment, it’s looking like it could cost nearly £10,000 a year in various fees and costs. 😭 And that's not including my general running cost, as in stock,gas, maintenance etc...
And for my tiny one-woman floating café, that is a LOT of extra expense.
I’ve also looked at the possibility of a land-based café, but if I’m completely honest…
It just wouldn’t be the same.
Shanti Tea Boat was built around the canals, the boat, the dogs, the people, the views, the slow life and that feeling you get when you arrive for a coffee and cake beside the water. 💜
Manifesting a Solution ✨
So here I am, once again…
MANIFESTING A SOLUTION. ✨
And this is where I need YOUR help.
If I was permanently based at Lemonroyd, would you:
💜 Travel from my old trading locations to visit me?
💜 Make a special trip out to Lemonroyd for your Shanti fix?
💜 Visit regularly if you knew I was going to be there every weekend?
💜 Bring friends/family/dogs along for a canal walk and coffee?
And, most importantly…
Do you think a permanent Shanti Tea Boat at Lemonroyd could work?
I genuinely need your honest opinions because before I commit myself to another huge financial responsibility, I need to know whether there’s enough of you lovely lot who would actually make the journey.
So please, please comment below 👇
Even if you’ve never visited before, I’d love to know what you think.
This little purple boat has survived 8 years, lockdown, broken canals, crazy weather, boat problems, dodgy generators, tiny ovens 😂 and a whole lot more…
I’m not ready to give up on her just yet. 💜
Maybe there’s another chapter waiting to be written… I just need to figure out where.
Big love,
Mabel, Ronnie, dogs & me 💜🚤☕️
