In 2017 the Aldana family moved to the Las Encartaciones region in Basque Country to start church planting. Shortly afterwards in 2018 the Webb family joined them. As we were getting to know the community, the local mayor in Güeñes where the Aldanas live mentioned in passing that the town needed a Camino pilgrim hostel. At that time we didn’t know much about the Camino at all.
The seed of an idea was planted. We began to do some research and discovered that Güeñes is the first stop on the Camino Olvidado from where it begins in Bilbao. The Camino Olvidado is approx. 650km long and of the many routes of the Camino de Santiago, one of the oldest Christian pilgrimages in Europe. Hundreds of thousands of people walk the Camino every year for personal and spiritual reasons. Though the Camino Olvidado in our region is not very well known, it is increasing in popularity as the main routes become busier and more commercialised.
We felt we could serve the community by opening a Christian guesthouse for pilgrims on the Camino. By providing a volunteer-run accommodation at low cost, we could fulfill a genuine need in the community and help maintain one of the oldest cultural heritages in Spain. As we value the Camino, we value the community, their history and interests and not just our own. By serving the community in a practical way we can show the love and hospitality of Jesus.
In 2018 we started to raise awareness for the project. We did newspaper and radio interviews, attended local fairs, and asked our supporting churches to pray and support us in this new ministry possibility. The mayors of our towns (Zalla and Güeñes) as well as local councillors for culture have expressed their support and interest for the pilgrim hostel. We’ve spoken to the Las Encartaciones Tourism Board and the Association of Friends of the Camino de Santiago in Bilbao and had a chance to be part of various local fairs. Our online surveys along the Camino Olvidado have helped us to learn more about pilgrims and their needs.
We have connected with other Christian ministries on the Camino. Soy El Camino (I am the Way) is a network of evangelical Christians along the Camino who are running hostels, cafes and other ministries to pilgrims. We’ve been a part of their conferences over the years and been so encouraged to see the amazing opportunities to be able to share Jesus with people walking on the Camino, many of whom are seeking an encounter with God. By connecting Christians along the camino, pilgrims can be recommended onto other Christian hostels in their journey. We’ve been volunteers at various Christian Camino hostels, Fuente de Peregrino in Lugo (2019) and Albergue Oasis Trails in Monjardin (2019) and we been pilgrims ourselves, having walked parts of the Camino in different places.
From 2018-2021, the vision began to take shape. It would be called Casa Camino Antiguo (“Ancient Way House”), and it would be a guesthouse and a place for our church to meet.
In 2020 we planted the Camino Antiguo Church and began meeting in a local council building. In this area of Basque Country there has been no established evangelical church previously. We were a small gathering of families meeting together around the Word, prayer and worship.
In 2021 we established the Camino Antiguo Association, our legal platform for church activities and the management of the guesthouse.
In 2022 the guesthouse project was approved by the European Christian Mission. All large projects go through a rigorous approval process to ensure that it aligns with ECM’s vision to be reaching people for Christ through church planting and discipleship in Europe. Since then we have been able to fundraise from churches and supporters for the project.
In late 2023, we secured the right property for the guesthouse in the centre of Zalla. God had finally opened the door to the right place after five years of searching and viewing over 35 properties in the area.
It was is a large second floor space which used to be a dance studio. Previously it had been a gym and many years before that it had been a chorizo factory (!). Located in the main square in town and right on the Camino path, it was the perfect location.
In February 2024 we began renovations to convert the former dance studio into a three bedroom guesthouse with bathrooms, kitchen and living room.
In April 2024 we opened Casa Camino Antiguo, and we had our first pilgrim come to stay on 14th April. He was a Aussie pilgrim called David and was walking the Camino to grieve the loss of his wife.
One year in 2025 on we have been blessed to welcome hundreds of pilgrims to our guesthouse as well as short-term teams and volunteers who help us in our ministry.
We’re thankful to God for Casa Camino Antiguo. We pray it will be great blessing to the Camino Antiguo Church and ongoing church planting in Basque Country. Our prayer is that through the guesthouse we can be a physical presence of Christ’s love and hospitality to pilgrims and to our local community.
Casa Camino Antiguo 