THE Queen's Baton Relay will pass through Southampton ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

The city is set to welcome the baton on July 6 as part of the tour taking in 180 cities, towns and villages over 29 days.

Baton bearers - picked for their inspirational backgrounds - will take it through to Birmingham on July 27 and 28 ready for the games.

Southampton previously hosted the baton relay in 2014.

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. 

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"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 Batonbearers and celebrate the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth 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.”   

The Baton will spend five days in London from June 2 to mark the Platinum Jubilee, before going to the Falkland Islands, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man - and then Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

It returns to England on July 24 for a 25-day tour.

Baton Relay full route

  • Thursday 2 June – Monday 6 June – London
  • 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

The final countdown to the opening ceremony will see the Baton spend 11 days travelling through the host region of the West Midlands, visiting:

  • 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