John O'Groats, Thurso and Wick Included In Queen's Baton Relay

17th March 2014

Highland villages and towns to host Queens Baton.

Highland villages, towns and local communities will have the chance to be part of the excitement, celebrations and countdown to Scotland’s biggest-ever sporting and cultural festival – the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Today (Monday 17 March 2014) the domestic route the Queens Baton relay will take when it arrives in Scotland on 14 June after its global epic journey through 69 nations and territories of the Commonwealth has been unveiled.

The baton’s first appearance in the Highlands will be on Friday 4 July when it will be in Aviemore en-route from Moray to Perth and Kinross. It will then arrive in Ullapool from the Western Isles on Wednesday 9 July where a welcoming event will be held before it travels north to Lairg and Thurso on its way to visit the Orkney Islands and Shetland.

The baton then returns to the Highlands for two full days on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 July. It will arrive Friday morning at John O Groats and make its way to Thurso, Wick, Brora, Golspie, Tain and Alness before arriving in Dingwall where the Baton will take centre stage during a special community celebration.

More information on the baton route etc at -
www.glasgow2014.com/join/queens-baton-relay/qbr-domestic-route

On Saturday morning the baton relay will be at Inverness Castle to start the journey south to Argyll and Bute, with visits to Drumnadrochit, Fort Augustus, Spean Bridge and Fort William. The final event will in Lochaber Leisure Centre before the hand- over of the Baton to Argyll.

The Highland Council and High Life Highland are working with communities to organise local events to mark the occasion when the Baton is on its Highland leg of its global tour.

Convenor of The Highland Council, Councillor Jimmy Gray said: “This is a once in a life-time opportunity and the relay is a unique tradition of the Games that unites people in a celebration of sport, diversity and peace. I’m particularly delighted that so many of our communities will have the chance to be part of the celebrations. Schools, sporting groups, care homes, local businesses, staff and teams of volunteers are all busy making plans to ensure everyone remembers the day they saw the 2014 Commonwealth Queens Baton.

“There will be a lot of world-wide media interest as we near the opening ceremony on 23 July. Some iconic photo opportunities are planned as the Baton winds its way across the Highlands so, as well as giving Highlanders the chance to be part of this national celebration, it’s also a great opportunity to show the rest of the world just what makes our area so special.”

More details of the Highland route with timings will be revealed nearer the time but on 31 Mach anyone who has applied to be a baton bearer will find out if their nomination has been successful.