The Normans built Llansteffan Castle in the early 12th Century on the existing earthworks of a 6th Century Iron Age hill fort. These remains can be seen among the bracken just before the gatehouse. The castle overlooks the Tywi estuary and so strategically placed to guard the river mouths. Lord Rhys and his brothers, the princes of Deheubarth, captured the castle in 1146 before it finally fell into the possession of William de Camville, who held it until 1338. The castle can be reached by a steep climb from the beach.
