London 2012: Route of Olympic Flame around British Isles revealed

THE route of the London 2012 Olympic torch around the United Kingdom in the run-up to next year's Games was revealed today.

• The Olympic mascot helps young ambassadors from across the UK place signs into a mock-up signpost at Lands End, Cornwall today. Picture: PA

The torch relay will start in Land's End and travel as far as the outer Hebrides and Shetland on an 8,000-mile journey to the stadium.

The Olympic Flame will arrive from Greece exactly one year from today and continue for 70 days until the opening ceremony of the Games on July 27, 2012.

Organisers today announced the route and details of how the public can apply to be one of 8,000 torchbearers.

The relay aims to go within an hour's travel time of 95% of the population - and there are also plans to take the Olympic Flame to Dublin.

The first 74 locations have been confirmed by organisers taking in famous sports venues, historic sites and places of outstanding natural beauty.

On most days of the relay, the Olympic Flame will travel for 12 hours each day ending in an evening celebration event.

There will be no international torch relay - the International Olympic Committee decided to make it a domestic event only after the controversial Beijing torch relay in 2008 where protesters used the event to demonstrate against China's human rights abuses.

Young people and anyone who tries to spur on others to do better themselves will make up the bulk of the runners.

London 2012 wants half of the 8,000 torch relay runners to be people aged between 12 and 24 and the rest to include people with a story of achievement or contribution to the local community.

The organisers said that 90% of the 8,000 torchbearer places would be made available to the public. London 2012 will have 2,012 spots and the rest will be split between sponsors including Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung.

Nominations can be made online - at www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelay - for six weeks up to 11.59pm on June 29 2011. There will be regional judging panels to help make the final choices.

Scottish torch dates

• June 8 - Glasgow

• June 9 - Inverness

• June 10 - Orkney, Scotland

• June 10 - Shetland

• June 11 - Aberdeen

• June 12 - Dundee

• June 13 - Edinburgh