Travelling to all of the corners of the Commonwealth

As the Queen's Baton Relay prepares for a new adventure around the UK, BBC reporter Mark Beaumont shares his memories from the epic journey which has visited 63 Commonwealth nations and territories in seven months.

The relay is the curtain raiser for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The baton contains a message from Queen Elizabeth II which will be unveiled at the opening ceremony on Wednesday 23 July.

By the end of the relay, the journey will have taken 288 days over a distance of 118,000 miles (190,000km).

The baton arrives on the Channel Islands on Sunday, marking the beginning of the journey around the British Isles.