Walk 20: Carmarthen to Llansteffan

Our walk from Carmarthen to Llansteffan was the second of four Taf Estuary walks we completed in August 2022. We always knew this wasn’t going to be the most scenic section of the Wales Coast Path, and the largely grey and rainy weather we had during this trip definitely didn’t help, but we did enjoy some nice views as we reached Llansteffan and, unlike on our last walk, this one was relatively stress-free!

We were dropped off at the end point of our previous walk, in Cwmfelin, a couple of miles from Carmarthen. We had been picked up slightly prematurely from our most recent walk, as things just hadn’t been going our way. The section into Carmarthen consisted just of road walking, so made for a nice, easy start to the day.

The route through Carmarthen was interesting. As we walked over Pont King Morgan, a pedestrian bridge constructed in 2005, we enjoyed seeing Carmarthen Bridge, which was designed by Clough Williams-Ellis, the architect behind the beautiful Portmeirion village, and the view was dominated by Carmarthen County Hall, which was designed by Percy Thomas in the French Renaissance style, and officially opened in 1956.

The path took us along the riverbank for a while. We did have to walk through a field with cows in, which is not my favourite thing to do, but they were quite far away and didn’t seem interested in us. We walked along a B-road for a little while, before heading into a wooded section, which we enjoyed walking through. Following this, we had a relatively long stretch of road walking – not the most exciting, but it made for some easy walking, and I much prefer road walking to awkward cow encounters!

Another wooded section took us out into a field of cows, which we nervously navigated our way around, gently telling the cows that we didn’t want to do them any harm and were just passing through as we went. At this point, I could see on the map that we were heading towards another farm, which was making me a bit nervous. Thankfully, though, there was a lovely path with hedge on either side which ran right through the farm, and there were no cows in sight.

We finally made it to Llansteffan, which, despite the cloudy weather, was looking very pretty. Llansteffan lies on the Taf Estuary, with views of Ferryside, on the opposite bank of the estuary, which we’d passed on our last walk. After walking along the estuary for a short stretch, the path took us up a pathway towards the woods, where we enjoyed a nice view of Llansteffan Castle. We were picked up by the entrance to the woods, where we would be starting our next walk.

All in all, a good day of walking – not too taxing, not too much rain, and no horrible encounters with cows. Unfortunately, we wouldn’t be so lucky on our next one!

🥾 Distance: We walked just over 12 miles – if we’d started in Carmarthen, the walk would have been closer to nine.

⭐ Highlight: The views in Llansteffan were the most interesting of the day.

👎 Less Good: Nothing in particular, although this wasn’t the most scenic Wales Coast Path walk!

🚗 Transport: We were dropped off and picked up by my sister, who was staying in Wales with us.

🛏️ Accommodation: We stayed in a lovely cottage in St Clears – Y Bwthyn – which had stunning interiors and was the perfect base for our walks!

🌱 Food: We cooked at the cottage in the evening.

🗺️ Map: This route is featured in the official Carmarthen Bay and Gower guide.

Still not convinced? Read my ten reasons to walk the Wales Coast Path. If you’re ready to start planning your walk, you can find lots of resources to help you on your way here. Please note, I collect a share of the sales from the links on this page.