Queen’s Baton Relay 2022: when will Commonwealth Games race pass London, full UK route, what is it for?

The baton route for the Commonwealth Games 2022 has been announced, with it set to tour all over the UK, arriving in host city Birmingham before the games begin.

Before arriving at Birmingham ahead of the games, the baton is set to touch every region in the country for 29 days.

The Commonwealth games is set to be the biggest multi-sports event held in the UK since the 2012 Olympic Games.

What is the Queen’s Baton Relay?

The baton relay is designed to bring together communities and cities across the Commonwealth and the UK ahead of the start of the highly anticipated Commonwealth Games 2022 - which are being held in Birmingham.

In England, the Queen’s Baton Relay will travel via all means of transport including land, air and sea and will travel through 180 communities in the country, on a route that span around 2,500 miles.

It will travel through all parts of the country, as far south as Plymouth to as far north as Northumberland, allowing people to experience the ‘buzz and excitement’ of the upcoming games.

Commonwealth Games Federation President, Dame Louise Martin, said: “The Queen’s Baton Relay symbolises hope, solidarity and collaboration across the Commonwealth at a time when it is needed most. It continues to inspire people wherever it goes and creates huge excitement for Birmingham 2022 as it journeys towards the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony on July 28.”

Minister for the Commonwealth Games, Nigel Huddleston, said: "The 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay is coming home. Travelling the length and breadth of England, the Baton will bring the excitement of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games to every region of the country.

Is the Queen’s Baton Relay route planned?

When passing through each community, the baton has a devised route, which will allow it to pass certain landmarks.

Ian Reid, Chief Executive of Birmingham 2022, said: “Whilst the Baton has been travelling across the Commonwealth, we have worked closely with Local Authorities in England to devise a route that engages with hundreds of communities, passing sport venues, historic sites, local schools and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“Yet the Queen’s Baton Relay is far more than just a journey. It symbolises connecting people from every corner of the Commonwealth, celebrates Batonbearers who take on challenges, and marks the countdown to the biggest sporting event in West Midlands history.

“And by the time the Baton returns to England for the final leg, 71 nations and territories will have already experienced the magic that comes with it.

“We hope that communities across the country join the excitement, attend events near them, line the streets to cheer on our incredible Baton Bearers and celebrate the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.”

When is the baton passing through London?

The Queen’s Baton Relay in England actually begins in the capital, as it will pass through London from Thursday, 2 June until Monday, 6 June, coinciding with the Queen’s Jubilee.

Where else is the baton going?

• Monday 4 July (South West) - St Austell, Plymouth, Exeter, Portland & Weymouth, Poole, and Bournemouth

• Tuesday 5 July (South West) Devizes, Bath, Bristol, Easter Compton, Hereford, Gloucester, and Cheltenham

• Wednesday 6 July (South East) Stoke Mandeville, Maidenhead, Eton & Windsor, Aldershot, Winchester, Hambledon, Southampton, and Portsmouth

• Thursday 7 July (South East) – Guildford, Tonbridge, Canterbury, Folkestone, Deal, and Dover

• Friday 8 July (East of England) – Gravesend, Tilbury, Basildon, Southend-on-Sea, Maldon, Waltham Cross, Luton and Hemel Hempstead

• Saturday 9 July (East of England) - King’s Lynn, Great Yarmouth, Bury St Edmunds, Hinxton, and Cambridge

• Sunday 10 July (East Midlands) - Northampton, Corby, Rutland, Leicester, Nottingham, Lincoln

• Monday 11 July (East Midlands) - Skegness, Boston, Grantham, Loughborough, Derby, Bakewell, Matlock, and Buxton

• Tuesday 12 July (Yorkshire & The Humber) - Sheffield, Rotherham, Huddersfield, Bradford, and Leeds

• Wednesday 13 July (Yorkshire & The Humber) – Hull, Beverley, Market Weighton, York, Malton, Scarborough, Robin Hood’s Bay, and Whitby

• Thursday 14 July (North East) - Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Redcar, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington, Durham, Seaham, and Sunderland

• Friday 15 July (North East) - South Shields, Whitley Bay, Blyth, Alnwick, Gateshead, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne

• Saturday 16 July (North West) – Carlisle, Lake District, Blackpool, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, and Bolton

• Sunday 17 July (North West) – Salford, Manchester, Stockport, Northwich, Wigan, and Knowsley

• Monday 18 July – Liverpool, Keele, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent, and Shrewsbury

• Tuesday 19 July – Ironbridge, Telford, Newport, Lilleshall, Stafford, Stone, Rudyard, and Leek

• Wednesday 20 July – Uttoxeter, Burton upon Trent, Lichfield, Burntwood, Chasewater, and Tamworth

• Thursday 21 July - Bodymoor Heath, Atherstone, Market Bosworth, Nuneaton, 
• Bedworth, Rugby, and Coventry

• Friday 22 July – Kenilworth, Whitnash, Warwick, Gaydon, Stratford-upon-Avon, Broadway, Pershore, Upton-upon-Severn, Malvern, and Worcester

• Saturday 23 July – Redditch, Bromsgrove, Kidderminster, Bridgnorth, Codsall, Rugeley, Hednesford, Cannock, and Walsall

• Sunday 24 July – Wolverhampton, Halesowen, Stourbridge, Dudley, Brierley Hill

• Monday 25 July – Oldbury, Wednesbury, Tipton, Cradley Heath, Rowley Regis, Blackheath, Bearwood, Smethwick, and West Bromwich

• Tuesday 26 July - Castle Bromwich, Fordbridge, Chelmsley Wood, Marston Green, Hampton in Arden, Meriden, Berkswell, Balsall Common, Knowle, Dorridge, Cheswick Green, Hockley Heath, Dickens Heath, Shirley, and Solihull

• Wednesday 27 & Thursday 28 July – Birmingham