Go for the burn

Watch the torch begin its 48km route in Wimbledon Village
The Weekender

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OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY

London carries the flame for the first time since 1948 and the 140 torchbearers represent a who's who of UK sporting heroes.

Faces to look out for include Sir Roger Bannister, Dame Mary Peters, Sally Gunnell, Tim Henman, Ian Botham, Frank Bruno and Jonathan Edwards.

The flame has arrived from Paris (en route to Barcelona) but for the day it's here it's being carried through parts of London Olympic flames don't usually reach.

It starts at Wimbledon at around 11am and continues east, via Kennington and Camberwell to Greenwich before heading over the Thames.

The final leg of the route along the Mall is followed by a free concert for lucky ballot-winning Londoners.

The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club Church Road, SW19 (020-7983 4100). Sat 26 Jun, 11am, free.

Top 5 places to watch the relay:

WIMBLEDON VILLAGE, 11AM A good opportunity to see two sporting highlights, as you can capture the atmosphere of Wimbledon fortnight (see listings) and watch the torch begin its 48km route through 11 London boroughs. The official start time is 11am.

CUTTY SARK GARDENS, GREENWICH, 2PM
Crossing the Meridian around 1.30pm, the torch will then be carried across the river to Canary Wharf. If the crowds are too dense in Greenwich, cross to Docklands via the foot tunnel and you can see the torch arrive by boat at Island Gardens.

TATE MODERN, 4PM
Bankside is an excellent vantage spot as you can take a trip to tate Modern while you're waiting for the torch to crisscross the river. The torch heads over Tower Bridge around 4pm, passes City Hall and then crosses the Millennium Bridge around 15 minutes later to head north to Oxford Street, accompanied by school children from across the capital.

SOUTH KENSINGTON, 6PM
The flame is due to arrive by bus in front of the V&A on Cromwell Road, SW7, at around 6pm. To do that, it has crossed through Hyde Park, which makes a leafy picnic spot-cum-vantage point.

THE MALL, 7PM The crowds should be thickest here as the procession reaches its finale, but the run down The Mall to Buckingham Palace at around 7.15pm offers the best atmosphere. At journey's end, there's an official lighting at the cauldron ceremony.

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