IT'S no secret that the Dorset coastline is the ideal natural backdrop for an enviable selfie.
IT comes as little surprise, then, that not one but two Jurassic Coast beauty spots have nabbed places on a list of the UK's most-loved attractions among users of photo-sharing app Instagram.
Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove came in at, respectively, number four and number 14 on the list of Instagrammable attractions, alongside famous sites like Edinburgh Castle, the White Cliffs of Dover and Blenheim Palace.
The list was compiled from Instagrammers who had used the hashtags #beautiful, #stunning, #wonderful, #romantic and #lovely to describe a geotagged beauty spot outside London; the 15 top attractions were then ranked in order of the number of these hashtags ascribed to them.
Durdle Door and the Cove - situated just a couple of miles from each other on the Purbeck coast - are no strangers to accolades.
Last year, Durdle Door was named as one of the country's top-ten free attractions, while the Cove has seen several awards for its accommodation - including a world's best B&B for Bindon Bottom last year.
The most recent awards were put together from more than 300,000 Instagram posts, demonstrating the truly broad appeal of these two gems in Dorset's crown.
Magi Metrics, which compiled the list, noted that the world-famous stone arch at Durdle Door and the Cove's picturesque shape and unique rock formations were likely to have spurred visitors to vaunt the area's charms on Instagram.
“The beauty of Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door has captured the imagination of visitors for generations. One experiences an almost physical connection when you see these timeless landforms for the first time," said Lulworth Estate head of marketing Caroline Sharp. "We’re thrilled these two iconic features of Dorset’s landscape have received this recognition and hope they continue to mesmerise all those who experience their splendour.”
Meanwhile, the Jurassic Coast Trust's Caroline Pearce said:
"We are lucky to have Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove as part of the natural World Heritage Site.
"Since starting our own Instagram page this summer we have noticed that about half of the photos tagged are of these two locations and Old Harry Rocks. They are extremely photogenic, though I'm not sure whether all the photographers would say it was a #romantic experience while waiting in the cold and damp for dawn!"
You can tag your own photos and see other people's on the only official Jurassic Coast Instagram page - @jurassic_coast.
Instagram users' top (non-London) attractions:
1. Cleethorpes Beach, Lincolnshire
2. Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
3. Giant's Causeway, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
4. Durdle Door
5. Eileen Donan Castle, Scottish Highlands
6. Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, Scotland
7. Stonehenge, Wiltshire
8. Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
9. Snowdonia, Wales
10. Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands
11. Chatsworth House, Derbyshire
12. Chester Zoo, Cheshire
13. White Cliffs of Dover, Kent
14. Lulworth Cove
15. Dunnottar Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here