Strathblane

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Ballencleroch House (Schoenstatt)

Saturday, March 14th 2009

It was November 22nd of last year when the Wanderers last walked to Schoenstatt and although the weather didn't look to promising when we departed from Erskine, it didn't deter the fourteen of us, including for the first time, Martin and Alice Doherty, who had turned out to make this now yearly outing to Ballencleroch House, home of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary in the Clachan of Campsie just east of the village of Lennoxtown. Our starting point at the Old Kirk c/park Strathblane took us onto the now dissused railway track from Aberfoyle and closed by Dr Beeching in 1966. It was a great surprise to find that just short of Dunglass Hill on the walk, in place of the old potholed surface we were used to, there now lay a brand new tarred one making this walk much more pleasant than it had been before. The lands of Ballencleroch date back to around the 15th century and belonged originally to the Brisbane family eventually being sold to a James MacFarlan in 1642, he built a Laird's house on it in 1655 and it then grew to its present size as the result of extensive additions in 1852/3. The house in later years became a hotel but was destroyed by arson in 1983, it became a place of pilgrimage and retreat after some reconstruction work in 1989 before being taken over by the Schoenstatt movement . The spiritual centre of the Schoenstatt movement is the Shrine (or small chapel) set within the grounds, and they are all modelled on the original one at Schoenstatt Germany. To date there are 170 such chapels in different centres throughout the world, the one at Ballencleroch being the first built in Britain in 1989.

Schoenstatt simply translated means "Beautiful Place" and it truly is, there is the red wooden house called St. Joseph's Cabin where you are welcome to relax and make yourself a cup of tea, Our very own Sherpa "Sadie" McGarry was on hand though to offer us tea and coffee "al fresco" in the outdoor seating area before our return journey to Strathblane.

Joe Roche.

Last Updated Sunday 23rd August 2009

Scottish Charity No13514