Snowsports capital will pass on Queen's Baton
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It will be a memorable "Independence Day" for Aviemore: Scotland’s snowsports capital is first in line for the Queen’s Baton on July 4.
Strathspey will be top of the list of Highland villages, towns and local communities sharing the excitement, celebrations and countdown to Scotland’s biggest-ever sporting and cultural festival, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The route was revealed on Monday (17) for the relay, which is due to arrive in Scotland on June 14 after its global epic journey through 69 nations and territories of the Commonwealth.
The baton’s first appearance in the Highlands, 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 July 9, 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 July 11 and Saturday 12. It will arrive Friday morning at John O Groats and make its way to Wick, Brora, Golspie, Tain and Alness before arriving in Dingwall where the Baton will take centre stage during a special community celebration.
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 March 31 anyone who has applied to be a baton bearer will find out if their nomination has been successful.
