Commonwealth Games: Scotland's Queen's Baton Relay route announced

The route of the Scottish leg of the Queen's Baton Relay, which leads up to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, has been revealed.

The baton is currently in the Caribbean as it tours 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth.

It will arrive in Edinburgh on Saturday 14 June and will visit all parts of Scotland over the next 40 days.

The baton arrives in Glasgow just before the games start on 23 July.

Hundreds of villages, towns and cities have been named on the Queen's Baton Relay route through Scotland.

The baton will travel across all 32 local authority areas before it reaches Glasgow on Sunday 20 July.

Up to 4,000 batonbearers will take part in the Scottish relay, with an average of 100 people carrying the baton daily.

On Wednesday 23 July, at the Opening Ceremony of Glasgow 2014 in Celtic Park, the Queen will read out the message she placed inside the baton before its marathon 190,000km trip around the world.

The baton is currently in St Lucia in the Caribbean. It will reach Canada by the end of April before heading to European destinations such as Cyprus and Malta and Gibraltar.

It will arrive in Scotland after spending a month travelling around the other nations and territories of the British Isles - Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Wales and England.

The baton will spend 40 days in Scotland, taking in such sights as the Forth Bridge, Loch Ness and The Kelpies, Falkirk's 30 metre-high dazzling horse head sculptures.

The Scottish route will also take in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.

The baton is travelling to 70 nations and territories before arriving in Scotland, including Australia's Gold Coast - the next Commonwealth Games host

David Grevemberg, chief executive of Glasgow 2014, said: "The Queen's Baton Relay is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people across Scotland to celebrate what's extraordinary and unique about their communities, and honour those locals who make a difference to others.

"The baton is visiting hundreds of villages, towns and cities, with thousands taking part in the relay, and many more attending the vast programme of sports and cultural events along the route.

"With less than three months to go until the baton comes home to Scotland, the momentum is building up for the biggest festival of sport and culture this nation has ever hosted".