The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games baton will spend 40 days traveling the length and breadth of Scotland, organisers have revealed.

The Queen's Baton Relay route will visit more than 400 villages, towns and cities from Shetland to the Borders, before making its way to Glasgow in the days leading up to the opening ceremony.

See the full baton route and timetable here

Details of the route were released as organisers launched a campaign to find 4000 'community champs' to carry the baton around the country. Nominations open today, and can be made through the Glasgow 2014 website.

The baton will leave the UK for Delhi today on the first leg of its international tour.

The symbol of the Games will travel more than 120,000 miles before returning to Scotland in June. It contains a message of support from the Queen which she will read aloud at the opening ceremony at Celtic Park on July 23.

The relay will begin in Edinburgh on June 14, and will travel throughout the country before culminating with a four-day tour of Glasgow.

Lord Smith of Kelvin, Glasgow 2014 Chairman, said: "In June and July next year the Queen's Baton Relay will travel throughout Scotland sharing the excitement of the countdown to the Commonwealth Games with communities across the nation.

"It's important as many people as possible feel part of this special moment and from today there's a chance for everyone to nominate the people in their street, village, town or city that they would like to see honoured as batonbearers.

"This is a chance to recognise the efforts of everyday champions that make a real difference and we look forward to seeing them take centre stage in their communities when Glasgow and Scotland's Queen's Baton Relay makes its memorable final journey to the Games."

Shona Robison, Commonwealth Games Minister, said: "When the baton returns to Scotland next June, it will travel the length and breadth of the country, visiting each local authority allowing everyone to join in the celebrations and experience a sense of pride and excitement in Games.

"The batonbearer public nomination campaign announced today gives everyone in Scotland a chance to recognise up to 4,000 individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to their local community, in particular through sport or their work with young people. Help us reward those community spirited people, from the Borders to Shetland, and let those perhaps unsung community champions in your towns and villages shine on the world's stage."

The baton was sent on its way by the Queen at Buckingham Palace yesterday and will depart from Glasgow Airport this afternoon for Delhi, hosts of the last competition in 2010. A performance by Scots pipers and Indian dancers will mark the occasion.

It will visit every nation and territory of the Commonwealth, travelling through Asia, Oceania, Africa, North and South America, the Caribbean and Europe.

It was due to travel to 71 nations and territories in total, but part of the route is being redrawn following Gambia's decision not to participate in the Games.

The west African nation announced its departure from the Commonwealth, saying it will ''never be a member of any neo-colonial institution''.

The baton will spend an average of one to four days in each nation, with an extended duration of seven days in Wales, two weeks in England and 40 days in Scotland.

Thousands of athletes will descend on Scotland's biggest city from July 23 to August 3 to compete across 17 sports.

The world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, has said that Glasgow 2014 is on his "to-do list" but he has suggested he might only enter the 200m and not the blue ribbon 100m event.