A day out in Llansteffan

24 Jul

We are just one week into the summer holidays and I can already feel the decision fatigue setting in. Every day having to come up with something fun to do, that all 3 kids will be happy doing, that won’t bankrupt me, and that I might actually enjoy too. It’s no easy task, and after a busy week of adventures already I was struggling to come up with a plan for a cloudy Friday. I turned to the summer bucket list and after much deliberation and debate between the kids and I, we finally settled on Llansteffan.

The view from Llansteffan castle on a sunny day.

If you’ve not been there before, Llansteffan is a lovely little town in Carmarthenshire. It’s right next to the estuary, and has a beach, amazing views, and an impressive castle too. The car park and the castle are both free, so we managed to have a day out where we didn’t spend any money. But there are lots of cafes and takeaway food places in the town if you do want to get yourself some treats. The car park is conveniently located right by the beach, and there is even a children’s play area next to it too.

We arrived nice and early as I’d heard it had been getting busy there on some of the sunnier days, but on this particular day we needn’t have worried. We started by walking up the hill to the castle. It’s a really easy walk to do, and is clearly marked so it’s easy to find. It’s uphill, but it’s a steady enough climb that my 3 kids didn’t complain about it, so that’s always a good sign!

The castle itself is free to enter, and is an amazing ruin with some of the most impressive views I’ve ever seen from a castle. Even on a cloudy day like today it is still very beautiful, and we could see all the way to Gower. The kids all loved climbing around and exploring the castle, and it’s definitely one of the less precarious castle ruins we’ve been to, so I didn’t find myself saying “be careful” every two minutes.

We then walked back down to the car park to get our picnic, but you can walk down through the woods to go directly to the beach instead. The kids spent ages playing on the park, and I got to sit and enjoy the view and a few minutes of peace, before we ventured onto the beach for our lunch. We then had a lovely explore in the woods and along the estuary. It is worth knowing what the tide is doing when exploring here, and on this particular occasion it was heading out, so we knew we would be ok walking along to the next beach. However, the sand in parts was very wet, and hard to walk on, so we headed up some steps into the woods, and followed the coastal path instead.

We came out at a gorgeous little beach called “ Scott’s Bay” and the kids enjoyed having a little play before we walked back towards Llansteffan. I think next time we visit we will head to Scott’s Bay before we have lunch, and eat our picnic there as it was a lot more secluded and had a lovely little stream running along it for the kids to play in.

Enjoying the view along the coastal path.

I promise I didn’t ask them to hold hands!

We had such a lovely day out at Llansteffan, and I think I successfully managed to keep all 3 children entertained for the day, and without spending any money, which is always a bonus! I would highly recommend a visit to this lovely little town if you are looking for some free, family fun, in Carmarthenshire.