Botany Bay in Broadstairs has become a regular haunt of Instagram users thanks to its iconic sea stacks.

But does this picture-perfect social media image match reality? We sent reporter Millie Bowles to find out…

Earlier this year Botany Bay was hailed as the “most photographed beach in the UK” based on how often people have shared pictures of the Broadstairs beach on Instagram.

On the social media app, there are more than 116,000 posts using the hashtag #botanybay.

Pictures include bikini pics on the golden sand, sunsets and of course the famous sea stacks with their tell tale keyhole.

It all seemed too good to be true - certainly for Kent - so I decided to see it for myself on a beautiful hot afternoon.

After battling through Thanet’s notorious traffic and road closures, I finally got within reach of the much-hyped beach.

It has a car park, so that’s where I headed first - but as it turned out, ‘car park’ is a strong word to use.

You can fit about 10 cars in the patch of gravel at a squeeze, and it is packed full.

Thankfully, there is free parking on nearby roads - however this sometimes causes congestion for locals.

Beach clobber on and with an acquaintance in tow, I headed down in the direction of the sparkling blue water which peeked over the hedgerow ahead of us.

We came to a slope leading down to the beach, which gave a beautiful glimpse of what was to come.

As I skipped down the concrete descent, I could see why this patch of oasis is so popular.

The sand was perfectly golden and the sea was crystal blue.

It was busy, but not ridiculously packed. Besides, the bustle, laughs, chatter and smell of suncream are part of the seaside experience in my eyes.

The beat of different genres of music echoed around and kids shouted as they explored rock pools.

Pathetically parched from the short walk down the hill (it was 25C in my defence) we headed straight to the resident kiosk.

Two pints of their Botany Bay Lager sounded perfect, and with two pots of Pringles too it came to £13.

“Is it card?” asked the girl behind the window.

I assumed this would be easier and said yes, but she apologetically explained I would have to walk up to the top of the steps with her to pay.

The whole beach is a signal blackspot.

Luckily, I managed to scrape the required pennies together and saved myself the climb.

We quickly and easily found a nice spot on the beach and set a towel down.

The lack of phone service was actually blissful, although I wish I had prepared more and brought a book with me.

I sat and soaked up the rays for a bit, sipping my pint which was crisp, cool and hoppy - perfectly capturing the mood of the beach in beer form, if that’s possible.

It was rather comfy sitting in the sun watching the world go by, but I decided I should probably check out these lumps of chalk that get everyone so excited.

The stacks were originally joined to the mainland. However, over millennia the sea has eroded the two outcrops, stranding them a few yards from the main cliffs.

Earlier this year, a sea swimmer sounded the alarm after spotting reckless daredevils taking perilous selfies on the crumbling cliff.

She claimed that erosion is accelerating, and those snapping pics whilst standing on the rocks were at risk of it collapsing around them.

I could see what she means. People were standing along the white backdrop almost constantly, with many climbing up to take a picture in front of the gap which has been eaten away in one of the stacks.

A whole family even clambered up the chalk to get a group pic.

While it could be dangerous, I could definitely see the appeal.

Perfect white rocks are draped with deep green seaweed and fauna, and the keyhole was the ideal frame for the rest of the beach behind.

I was getting a bit too hot by this point, with the early evening sun beating down, so we headed over to dip our toes in the sea.

It’s no secret that Southern Water is not so popular in this part of Kent due to sewage released into the sea.

Botany Bay is not safe from this, but managed to cling onto its Blue Flag status this year when two nearby beaches couldn’t.

Stepping into the shallows, I was shocked.

This was the clearest water I have ever witnessed in Kent.

I could see all my toes and every little rock on the bed.

It was so beautiful and felt like I was on a Mediterranean coastline - not England.

After a bit of paddling and an ice cream, we started to make our way back up to the car.

On the way up the steps, I found a block of public toilets and decided it was sensible to make use of them before the journey home.

But as soon as I walked through the door, the stench almost knocked me off my feet and the Insta-perfect vibe was ruined.

What I hoped was water was pooled in the corners, along with sand and general dirt.

Both bowls were completely blocked and unusable - not that I think I could stand the smell long enough to sit down.

On the sink, there was half a broken beer bottle and two cocktail cans. On the floor was an empty bottle of prosecco.

I got out of there as soon as I could and decided to hold it.

I shouldn’t have been surprised, as locals raised concerns about the state of the toilets just this week.

They reported seeing beach-goers urinating up the outside walls and have removed “buckets of human waste” from the shore.

Thankfully, a solution is in reach, as Thanet District Council has allocated £1.5 million to fix up the facilities.

The walk back to the car seemed a bit longer than the way down, but we left with a smile on our faces.

If you can cross your legs till you get home - or are braver than me - Botany Bay is the perfect beach to visit.

It’s not too close to civilisation, making it feel like a secret slice of paradise.

It’s no wonder selfie snappers flock here, and I for one will be back.