Glasgow 2014: Queen’s Baton Relay to Visit Over 400 Communities in Scotland

Glasgow 2014 has revealed the list of Scotland’s villages, towns and cities which will welcome the Queen's Baton Relay.

The first Queen’s Baton Relay was staged for the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, and has been the curtain raiser to the Games ever since.

Up to 4,000 batonbearers will take part in the Scotland route of the Queen’s Baton Relay, with an average of 100 batonbearers carrying the baton on a daily basis.

The baton will visit over 400 communities, offering people across the nation a chance to be a part of the excitement, celebrations and countdown to Scotland’s biggest-ever sporting and cultural festival, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The relay will reflect the important role of sport by visiting schools, sporting facilities and leisure centres, encouraging communities to get behind Team Scotland, get involved with the games and using its profile to get more people participating in sport.

From the spires of Edinburgh to the peaks of the Highlands, from Scottish Borders’ woodlands to island beaches, the baton will travel across all 32 local authorities in the nation before it reaches Glasgow, its final destination.

Brae, in the Shetland Islands, is the farthest northern village on the baton’s journey, and Kirkcudbright, in Dumfries and Galloway, the southernmost point on the relay’s route.

Communities will be celebrating in extraordinary and unique ways.

More than 60 schoolchildren will travel from the Island of Unst, a two-ferry journey to the Shetland mainland, to join the relay in the village of Brae. For the first time in the history of a relay, people across the length of the Outer Hebrides, from Castlebay in Barra to the most northerly point at Butt of Lewis lighthouse, will be able to join celebrations across five different events along the route.

The 40-day journey of the baton will cover 8,000 kilometres, showcasing the nation’s most-iconic landmarks and culture.  World-famous sights such as the Forth Bridge and Loch Ness feature on the baton’s journey, as well as The Kelpies, Falkirk’s 30 metre-high dazzling horse head sculptures.

Scotland’s rich heritage takes centre stage when the baton visits Skara Brae in the Orkney Isles and travels along the Glenfinnan Viaduct in the Highlands.

Sporting highlights on the route include visits to Melrose, the home of Rugby Sevens, Knockhill’s Racing Circuit, a visit to Team Scotland’s training camp at the University of Stirling and a stop at St Andrew’s Old Course, the home of golf.

The baton will take part in one of Scotland’s favourite festivities, as it steps forward for a Ceilidh in Dundee.

Further highlights on the baton’s journey through Scotland, as well as street level details and full programme of events, will be announced nearer the time.

On 31 March thousands of people will find out whether their nominations to become batonbearers have been successful. When it arrives in Scotland on 14 June , the baton will have been on 248-day global epic journey through all other 69 nations and territories of the Commonwealth.

On 23 July, the message Her Majesty placed in the baton will be read at the Opening Ceremony.

The Queen’s Baton Relay is a unique tradition of the Commonwealth Games that unites the two billion citizens of the Commonwealth in a celebration of sport, diversity and peace. It will travel over 190,000 kilometres through 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth.

Shona Robison, Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, added, “The Queen’s Baton Relay is a unique element of the Commonwealth Games which unites the two billion citizens of the Commonwealth in a celebration of sport, diversity and peace. Since its launch last October, the Queen’s Baton has already received a warm welcome across Asia, Oceania, Africa, the South Americas and the Caribbean as it visits all 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth on its journey to the Opening Ceremony of the Games on 23 July. It has provided a unique opportunity not only to showcase what Scotland and Glasgow have to offer the world, but has also been particularly successful in engaging children and young people in the Games.  I look forward to its return to Scotland on the 14 June when I am confident it will receive an equally enthusiastic welcome as it visits villages, towns and cities across all 32 Local Authorities. Whilst it will be an exciting and dramatic countdown to the Games, I also expect it to celebrate the range of legacy activity already happening across our communities and the local heroes within them who will carry the baton.”

Queen’s Baton Relay Schedule

Saturday, 14 June 2014 - City of Edinburgh
Sunday, 15 June 2014 - West Lothian
Monday, 16 June 2014 - Midlothian
Tuesday, 17 June 2014 - East Lothian
Wednesday, 18 June 2014 - Scottish Borders
Thursday, 19 June 2014 - Dumfries and Galloway
 Friday, 20 June 2014 - South Ayrshire
Saturday, 21 June 2014 - East Ayrshire
Sunday, 22 June 2014 - South Lanarkshire
Monday, 23 June 2014 - North Lanarkshire
Tuesday, 24 June 2014 - Falkirk
Wednesday, 25 June 2014 - Clackmannanshire
Thursday, 26 June 2014 - Fife
Friday, 27 June 2014 - Dundee City
Saturday, 28 June 2014 - Angus
Sunday, 29 June 2014 - Aberdeenshire
Monday, 30 June 2014 - Aberdeen City
Tuesday, 1 July 2014 - Shetland Islands
Wednesday, 2 July 2014 - Transition
Thursday, 3 July 2014 - Moray
Friday, 4 July 2014 - Perth & Kinross
Saturday, 5 July 2014 - Transition
Sunday, 6 July 2014 - Stirling
Monday, 7 July 2014 - Transition
Tuesday, 8 July 2014 - Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan
Wednesday, 9 July 2014 - Transition
Thursday, 10 July 2014 - Orkney Islands
Friday, 11 July 2014 - Highland
Saturday, 12 July 2014 - Transition
Sunday, 13 July 2014 - Argyll and Bute
Monday, 14 July 2014 - Inverclyde
Tuesday, 15 July 2014 - North Ayrshire
Wednesday, 16 July 2014 - East Renfrewshire
Thursday, 17 July 2014 - Renfrewshire
Friday, 18 July 2014 - West Dunbartonshire
Saturday, 19 July 2014 - East Dunbartonshire
Sunday, 20 July 2014 - Glasgow City
Monday, 21 July 2014 - Glasgow City
Tuesday, 22 July 2014 - Glasgow City
Wednesday, 23 July 2014 - Glasgow City - Opening Ceremony

Commonwealth Games Scotland Chairman, Michael Cavanagh, said, “The Queen’s Baton Relay is the ultimate symbol of the Commonwealth Games and its arrival in Scotland will be an important signal to both the athletes and the public that the Games are just around the corner. The baton’s journey through the country is the ideal opportunity for people to celebrate community sport and show support for their local athletes selected to represent Team Scotland at Glasgow 2014. We hope everyone the length and breadth of the country will get behind the team and play their part in what is going to be an amazing home Games!”

Note: Schedule may be subject to change, so do check with your local authorities.