Sir Chris Hoy's 'immense pride' at leading out Olympic Team GB

Sir Chris Hoy has told BBC Scotland he is immensely proud to have been the Team GB flag-bearer at the London 2012 opening ceremony.

The four-time Olympic cycling champion led his teammates out in the athletes' parade.

The British team walked through a guard of honour of schoolchildren as they made their way across Olympic Park to the stadium.

Sir Chris said: "I couldn't have dreamt this moment."

Talking to BBC Scotland as he waited to lead out Team GB, the Scottish cyclist added: "As we get closer now everyone is getting more and more excited.

"I've got goosebumps already and I haven't even got in the stadium. Everyone is excited and can't wait to get in there.

"The competition is another thing entirely, this is just for celebration and to say we've made it, we're Olympians, we're here with the team and we are leading out the greatest team at the Olympic Games."

About 80,000 people in the Olympic Stadium and a worldwide television audience of one billion watched the opening ceremony, which was the brainchild of the film director, Danny Boyle.

The Queen arrived in the stadium after a film showing her being flown there in a helicopter with "James Bond" - actor Daniel Craig.

The Olympic flame arrived by a speedboat carrying David Beckham who handed it to Sir Steve Redgrave.

After the athletes' parade the Olympic cauldron consisting of 204 petals - one for each competing nation or territory - was lit by seven young athletes chosen by British Olympic champions.

On Friday celebrations took place across Scotland to mark the start of the 2012 Olympic Games.

The Red Arrows aerobatic display team passed over Edinburgh as part of a UK-wide flyover and in towns and cities across the country people took part in a UK-wide three-minute bell-ringing event.

The opening ceremony was shown on a big screen in Edinburgh's Festival Square.

Medal hopes for Scottish athletes, who compete as part of Team GB, include Sir Chris Hoy, tennis star Andy Murray and Hannah Miley, the swimmer.