Llansteffan Beach

Llansteffan sits where the Tywi spills into Carmarthen Bay, and the draw is obvious the moment you arrive: a broad crescent of firm estuary sand with a Norman castle crowning the wooded hill above. Launch from the beachfront car park and you have a lovely composition ready-made; sweep low over the sands towards the castle, or turn seaward for the wide estuary and the distant Gower across the bay. A word on the castle: it is in Cadw's care, and Cadw do not permit drone flights over their monuments without a permit, so frame it from a distance and keep the aircraft over the beach and estuary rather than directly above the walls. The Tywi is properly tidal here, with a big range and soft mud in the channels, so work a low, dropping tide and do not wander onto the flats. The other thing to check is the Pendine and Laugharne MOD ranges about twelve kilometres to the south-west across the bay; their danger areas are usually offshore but you should read the firing notices. Golden hour on a low tide, with the castle catching the last light, is the shot everyone comes for.