Details of the route which the Olympic flame will take have been released by officials and include a number of stunts, as well as traditional relay running.

The torch will fly off the Tyne Bridge on a zip wire, soar in a balloon across Cornwall, canoe down rapids in Hertfordshire, and be taken on a TT motorcycle on the Isle of Man.

For other parts of the journey across Britain, the flame will travel by horse, tram and steam train.

The route has been designed to come within 10 miles of 95 per cent of the population on its way to the Olympic Stadium.

Landmarks such as Stonehenge and Loch Ness will be taken in.

Lord Coe, the Locog chairman, said: “I’m delighted that the Olympic torch relay will take the 2012 Games to almost every corner of the UK and that we have achieved our ambition to take the flame to within an hour’s journey of 95 per cent of the population.

“Now everyone is invited to plan their welcome and find out where they can go to be part of this historic occasion.”

The flame will be lit in Olympia in Greece in May, and the 70-day relay will start at Land’s End, Cornwall, on May 19.

On July 27 2012 the Olympic torch will be to be taken down the Thames to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford for the opening ceremony signifying the official start of the Games.