A cache by 3 kinnears Message this owner

Hidden : 5/24/2026

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Size: Size: virtual (virtual)

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Geocache Description:

❤️ Heart of Midlothian ❤️

The Heart of Midlothian is a heart-shaped mosaic formed from coloured granite setts, located outside St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. It marks the site of the entrance to Edinburgh’s historic Old Tolbooth, which was demolished in 1817.

The Tolbooth was immortalised by Sir Walter Scott in his 1818 novel The Heart of Midlothian, which centres on a young woman who is wrongfully imprisoned there. The mosaic itself has marked the former Tolbooth’s location since 1860.

Locals will often spit upon the heart — an action said to bring good luck 🍀 — although it may originally have been a sign of disdain for the executions that once took place at the Tolbooth.

The Edinburgh football club Heart of Midlothian F.C. takes both its name and crest from the mosaic.

(Image of the Heart of Midlothian Mosaic)

🧩 How to Claim This Virtual Cache

The idea behind this Virtual Cache is simply to enjoy the experience of finding and seeing the famous Heart of Midlothian for yourself.

To log this cache as found, please complete the following:

📸 Take a photograph with THE HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN MOSAIC clearly visible. (Alternatively, you may take a picture of your GPS/device or your caching name at the location instead.)
📨 Brass Plaques: A few feet to the left of the mosaic are three brass plaques set into the pavement, each displaying a year. Please message me with the year shown on the centre plaque.
😄 Optional bonus: Let me know in your log if someone actually spits on the heart while you are there!

📚 More History

The Heart of Midlothian was the seventh of Sir Walter Scott’s famous Waverley Novels. It was originally published in four volumes on 25 July 1818 under the title Tales of My Landlord, 2nd Series, with the author listed as “Jedediah Cleishbotham, Schoolmaster and Parish-clerk of Gandercleugh”.

The main action of the novel, set between September 1736 and May 1737, is sparked by the Porteous Riots and follows a working-class girl travelling from Edinburgh to London in an attempt to save her sister from execution after being accused of murdering her newborn baby.

Although some contemporary reviews were negative, many now consider it to be Scott’s finest novel.

⚽ Hearts Football Club

Heart of Midlothian F.C., commonly known as Hearts, is a professional football club based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded in 1874, it is the oldest football club in the Scottish capital.

The club competes in the Scottish Premiership, and its famous maroon-and-white crest is directly inspired by the Heart of Midlothian mosaic on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. Their local rivals are Hibernian F.C., with whom they contest the famous Edinburgh derby.

Virtual Rewards 5.0 — 2026–2027
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between February 3, 2026 and February 3, 2027. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 5.0 on the Geocaching Blog.

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