A recent survey ranks a stroll along a picturesque stretch of the Kent coastline as the 10th best winter walk in the UK, based on Instagram hashtags.

KentOnline reporter Max Chesson went to see if Botany Bay in Broadstairs lives up to the hype...

Early doors Saturday, I jump in my car, head down the A299 and find myself on the outskirts of Margate.

I'm venturing out to see whether Botany Bay in Broadstairs, which has more than 100,000 hashtags on Instagram, really is the best winter walk in Kent.

I start in Palm Bay for the simple reason that it's free to park there, with the only restrictions seeming to be for motor caravans.

Palm Bay is nice, inoffensive, unassuming - and clearly popular with cyclists and joggers.

It’s a short walk from here to Botany Bay, where you can enjoy spectacular views of the sea from the clifftops.

Below, I can see the bay, populated with a handful of dog-walkers and a couple of families writing their names in the sand.

Carefully making my way down one of the slopes down to the beach, the sheer size of the sea stacks becomes apparent. They’re gargantuan.

The iconic rock columns feature in most of those selfies and sunset shots which have made Botany Bay a social media sensation.

It’s perfectly pleasant and I imagine on a warm sunny day watching the world go by would be delightful. Today, though, is not one of those days.

The best thing about this place is the number of dogs on the beach. I count at least seven, all playing with each other, dipping in and out of the waves.

Their owners stand close by, almost huddling together for warmth. I’m half tempted to join them. I’m freezing to death stood here.

So I decide to move on, and try to find somewhere that will do some hot food.

Up the hill, Shepherd Neame's Botany Bay Hotel, which overlooks the beach, is the most festive part of the walk so far.

The waiting staff are friendly and prompt, and offer me “the best table in the restaurant” when I struggle to answer the very basic question of “where would you like to sit, sir?”

The standard English Breakfast costs me £8.95 and with it, sadly, comes burnt toast, burnt sausages, a poorly-looking hash brown and undercooked bacon.

It's maybe my own fault for coming in 15 minutes before breakfast service finishes. I’ll simply say that I’ve had better.

With that and my lemonade, I pay my £11.25 and am on my way.

Just round the corner, there looks to be a charming pub called the Captain Digby.

The next thing I see is Kingsgate Castle. It was built in the 18th Century for Lord Holland, a British politician.

It became a luxury hotel in the 1920s, before being converted into private residences again in the 50s.

Today its facade is gloomy, as though it's begging for the sea to come and bring it down, and take it away to sunnier shores.

Just the other side of Kingsgate Castle is Joss Bay. A 200m stretch of sand, this is believed to be Kent’s best surfing location.

But on a day like today, where the temperature is a mighty 1°C and the sea sits peacefully, bringing the gentlest waves to the shore, there’s not a surfer in sight.

The path to Joss Bay from Kingsgate Castle, and then towards Stone Bay, is the other side of the B2052, taking you away from the coastline.

Overlooking all of this is North Foreland Lighthouse. The clear-skied, sunny day has rendered its beacon obsolete until darkness falls. Yet, there it goes, its faint light burning.

The next part of the walk, as I trudge along to Stone Bay, offers a lot of time for thinking. It’s ideal if you’re after a bit of peace and quiet.

But every time I get a train of thought going, I pass a dog-walker or a jogger and we exchange a greeting of some sort.

A nod, a hello, a smile, derailing the train.

Of course, this is actually a good thing. People here seem genuinely happy.

And it helps to pass the time, because suddenly I’ve arrived at Stone Bay.

It’s here that I feel the walk is beginning to come into its own.

The steps down to the bay are quite compact, and steep.

But then, as you emerge from the steps and peek past the concrete that dominates the walk down, you are greeted by a thin strip of sand, smiling at you, and a seemingly-endless ocean.

The waves caress the sand, so gentle in their nature. I am genuinely in awe.

I hop down onto the beach, and approach a broken-up boat. It looks weathered and, judging by the slight kick I give it, I’m not surprised it's fallen apart.

Satisfied with my efforts, I decide I’ll sit down on the small sea wall and watch over the bay. And, just as I have sat down, I hear a booming call from behind me.

“Can’t park that there, mate!”

I turn, and see a young couple, maybe mid-20s, walk off chuckling to themselves. They contrast in every way imaginable.

I smile, and I sit a little longer. The wind is cold but refreshing, and the tranquility that the sea offers is like no experience words could ever truly do justice to.

And then, I move on, because just round the corner is Broadstairs.

This is the busiest part of the walk by far. I hear an older couple discussing a lady in the sea wearing a woolly hat. The consensus is that she must be mad.

I stroll off into the town to find somewhere to get a drink and stumble upon the Old Bakehouse. A large hot chocolate for £3. Sounds good to me.

And then, I walk back to the beach and sit, embracing the good-natured spirit that the town carries.

It is here that I decide I’ve seen enough.

I head back, hot chocolate in hand, ready to take in everything I’ve just seen but in reverse.

On Instagram, Botany Bay is hailed as the main attraction of this coastal walk. Yet I found it one of the less interesting parts. Instead, the walk got better as I went on.

I can understand why this seafront stretch attracts so many social media users. It’s peaceful, pretty - picturesque in parts.

According to the research by footwear retailer Wynsors, the 106,657 hashtags for Botany Bay on Instagram make it the 10th most popular winter walk in the UK. Snowdown comes out on top with more than 400,000.

But is the Botany Bay walk - which took me four hours in total, with stops - really the best Kent has to offer?

For me, I'd rather visit the Isle of Sheppey and tackle the Elmley Nature Reserve - or bounce around the country pubs and little villages of the Kent Downs.

This is not to dismiss the Botany Bay walk - but it’s underdeveloped, and I don’t think the winter brings out the true beauty of the area.

For me, it is far better suited to a summer stroll. Load up some cans of Red Stripe, find your best Hawaiian shirt, charge up the speaker and blast out the reggae.

Only then will the true brilliance and potential of the Botany Bay walk become apparent.