This picturesque little village, nestled between lush green hills and the sandy shore of Carmarthen Bay and the Tywi estuary, is one of Wales' best kept secrets. Miles from the normal strategic roads that take tourists to the Pembrokeshire Coast and the ports, destined for Ireland, most visitors to Llansteffan arrive by word of mouth - rarely has anyone landed here on a whim. However, people have lived here from prehistoric times and have left traces in the form of Stone Age burial chambers; Bronze Age standing stones, burnt mounds and fortifications; Iron Age hill forts and hut circles. Centuries ago, Llansteffan was once an important and bustling borough and port - a strategic shipping link to West Wales, where trade with many European countries took place. Royalty often stopped by on their way to Pembrokeshire and Ireland. It later became a popular holiday destination, particularly with the Victorian and Edwardian leisured classes who saw Wales, with it's language, culture and landscape, to be sufficiently foreign, yet increasingly accessible due to the ever-improving infrastructure.

On your approach to the village from the old roman town of Carmarthen, you will be greeted by the most remarkable sight - the castle, standing proud atop a hill, with the sea and shore stretching out beneath. This castle was strategically placed to guard the Tywi estuary from enemies and was built within the still visible ramparts of a late Bronze Age hill fort. A wooden 11C castle was replaced by the Norman invaders in the 12C with a stone building, which was considerably extended in the 13C. Commanding the estuary as it did, it was fought over by the Welsh and the Anglo-Normans throughout the Middle Ages. Although it was later adapted into a more comfortable, grander residence, the castle was abandoned in the 16C and left to ruin. The climb to the castle is up a steep gradient and the access road is in relatively poor condition. Nevertheless, the views across Carmarthen Bay to the Gower and beyond more than compensate for the climb. Although ruined, some towers are accessible thanks to CADW: Welsh Historic Monuments, responsible for preserving the castle for the enjoyment of generations to come.

Below the castle lies the woodland know as the Sticks. The name is a pun on the tall thin trunks of the beech trees that once stood there. Before the trees were felled circa 1960, wooden benches were installed between the trees, facing a stage, to accommodate audiences for concerts, eisteddfodau and, notably, the annual Mock-Mayor-making ceremony. In its heyday this area would have thronged with visitors and a mayoral procession would have made its way from the Sticks through the people-lined streets of the village. During this period, and in particular during 'miners' fortnight' when the mines of the South Wales valleys closed for the summer, some houses in Llansteffan are said to have accommodated 50 visitors in bedrooms often partitioned by blankets.

A number of paths make their way through the Sticks above 'Heol Y Glo' (Coal Road) - a road that would have been used to collect coal brought into the village by boat from Kidwelly - up to the public shelter and viewing point. This area was once known as 'Y Gegin Fach' (Little Kitchen), so called because it was a popular place for picnics and making tea, but is now known locally by its contemporary name 'First Steps'.

A cliff path leads from Y Gegin Fach to Scotts Bay, named after the family of Captain John James Scott and his wife, comprising a son and nine daughters, who occupied St. Anthony's Cottage from 1862 until the 1950s. The house is named after the nearby St. Anthony's Well, a holy well deemed to have healing properties, which would have been on a road to Laugharne Ferry. Many people would have stopped here to refresh whilst on the pilgrim route to St. Davids. Later, it became customary to throw pins, as opposed to coins, into the water to make a wish. Many tourists were unfamiliar with this custom and local children would make regular visits to the well in order to top up their pocket money! A sculptured plaque by John Taulbut commemorates the saint. Nearby, and much later in Llansteffan's history, visitors would have stopped at Tafarn Llaeth (Milk Tavern) for refreshments, where milk was bought by the glass either 'straight' or laced with rum!

A National Trust path leads past St. Anthony's Cottage along the headland above Wharley Point, known colloquially as Werle (the place of the weir), after a medieval weir belonging to the lordship of Llansteffan. The surrounding areas take in a diverse range of habitats, the most important of which is arguably the salt marshes that you'll see on the low ground, which are owned by the National Trust. A section of land between Wharley Point and Craig Ddu woodland is also an Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), as it is particularly rich with maritime lichen flora.

The bell-house, from where the ferry-man was once summoned across the river Taf, can still be seen at the end of the ferry lane near Pentywyn. Wharley Point commands fine views across Carmarthen Bay and the Gower peninsula. At low tide the immense sands of Carmarthen Bar are exposed. The ever-changing channels and sifting sands make these waters difficult to navigate. As a result, the estuary is emptier of shipping than it has been for at least 1,000 years.

The Llansteffan-Kidwelly and later the Llansteffan-Ferryside ferry ran originally from Ferry Point at the other end of Llansteffan. Ferry Point, in medieval times was known as the Manor of the Ferry. Fluctuating tides sometimes reveal the hulks of old boats buried in the mud. By 1891 two landing-stages were built opposite The Green, for the convenience of passengers arriving by train to Ferryside. By the eighteenth century the tourist trade was well established, depending first on the ferries and then increasing greatly when the railway reached Ferryside in 1852.

The village expanded to accommodate the increasing number of tourists and attractive terraces of houses were built on the green. Cottages elsewhere in the village were rebuilt as spacious houses. The village also has fine gentry houses: Plas Llansteffan, built in the 16C and rebuilt in 1788 in classical style with a fine two-storeyed façade and pillored Tuscan portico; The Cottage, built c.1820 and was once a fine hotel; Hill House, built in 1855; and Orchard House, built in 1860. The village prospered as it provided for visitors and the big ships as they waited for the tide to go upstream to Carmarthen. Local people who had made money, often in the drapery trade, returned to build large houses. Primarily a farming community, the village was self-sufficient in all trades and was well served by photographers, carpenters, blacksmiths, masons, tailors, milliners, coal-merchants, carriers, fishermen, a miller and a barber.

Llansteffan Church was founded by Sant Ystyffan (Saint Stephen), an associate of Sant Teilo, in the 6C. The present nave dates from the 13C, the tower and transepts were added in the 15C and the Lloyd Chapel in the 16C. The interior was renovated several times during the 19C and a current programme of restoration is on-going. The church has fine 19th and 20C stained-glass windows, including a beautiful east window by John Petts. The church was recently listed in The Daily Telegraph's 'Britain's 100 Favourite Churches' poll.

The village has played host to a remarkable number of artists and litterateurs over the years. Ozi Rhys Osmond, Aurelia Reynolds and Peter Jones are contemporary artists that Llansteffan has inspired to fill their canvases. Deceased artists include Christopher Williams, John & Kusha Petts; writers include Keidrych Rhys, Lynette Roberts, Glyn Jones and Dylan Thomas, who was a regular visitor to the village.  Alas, one of Dylan's favourite pubs, the Edwinsford Arms, is no longer open - Dylan enthused about its '......sabbath-dark bar with a stag's head over the Gents'. Dylan's friend, the writer Glyn Jones, whose commentaries are among the most sensitive of Dylan's work, is buried in the churchyard.

In order to maintain its unspoiled quality and, as a validation to its natural beauty, the entire area of Llansteffan and Carmarthen Bay has been designated as a European Special Area of Conservation, and has withstood disasters like the Sea Empress oil spill to remain an area of great natural importance. In 2004, Scott's Bay was voted into The Western Mail's writers' choice Top 10 beaches, where it was described as "one of the most peaceful, beautiful and relaxing beaches in Wales".