London ( CNN ) -- The Olympic torch began its 70-day , 8,000-mile journey around Britain Saturday from Land 's End in Cornwall , with three-time Olympic gold medal winner Ben Ainslie the first to carry the torch . Ainslie , a sailor who grew up in Cornwall , southwest England , passed the torch on to 18-year-old surfer Anastassia Swallow , the second torchbearer . More than 100 people will carry the flame on the first day of its long voyage , during which it will take in towns , villages and cities across England , Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland before reaching London . The Olympic flame arrived at a Royal Naval Air Station in Cornwall on Friday , carried by Princess Anne , the president of the British Olympic Association and also an Olympian . She received the flame at an elaborate handover ceremony in Athens Thursday . The flame had been on an eight-day journey round Greece after being lit at ancient Olympia , birthplace of the Olympics , on May 10 . The flame was also accompanied on its flight from Greece by footballer David Beckham , London Mayor Boris Johnson and Sebastian Coe , head of the London 2012 organizing group . `` The arrival of the Olympic Flame on home soil is a magical moment for any host country , '' Coe said . `` It will connect millions of people around the UK to the Games in a unique way and allows us to celebrate the best of the UK and its people . '' The route for the torch relay has been designed so that the flame will pass within 10 miles of 95 % of the U.K. population before its arrival at the Olympic Stadium in London on July 27 . Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg , who greeted the flame on its arrival in Cornwall , said it was the start of an exciting journey . `` Today , the Olympic flame begins its journey across the nation . 8,000 people will pass it from hand to hand , a human chain that reaches the length and breadth of Britain . `` It will visit a thousand towns , and be seen by millions ; with every step , the excitement will build . And 10 weeks from now , the world will watch as the flame arrives at the new Olympic Stadium , bringing with it the hopes of a nation , '' Clegg said . London last hosted the Olympic Games in 1948 .
The 70-day torch relay started in Land 's End , Cornwall , and will finish in London . The flame will pass within 10 miles of 95 % of the U.K. population along the route . Ben Ainslie , who has won three Olympic golds in sailing , was the first runner . The flame was lit on May 10 at ancient Olympia , in Greece , birthplace of the torch .