Tynecastle Stadium, the home of Hearts since 1886. They have been Scottish champions four times since then. Now there's tentative talk of a fifth title. Photograph: Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
Into Edinburgh’s Haymarket station, up the stairs, out into the puddles, right onto Dalry Road and along to Gorgie. That’s Gorgie with two hard Gs.
Under the railway bridge, a sharp right and there it is: Scottish football’s current destination of choice. Tynecastle, home of Heart of Midlothian.
The walk’s about a mile and lamp-post banners show they’ve taken to calling it the “Maroon Mile”.
No one’s arguing. In autumn 2025, maroon is the colour.
It’s 10.50am on a Sunday and a group of Hearts fans are being ushered into the porch of a bar to get out of the rain. “Can’t serve until 11,” the host says cheerily. Again, no one argues. Farther on, past the Destiny Church, outside the Tynecastle Arms there’s a queue to get in.
Everywhere there is maroon optimism but there is also maroon experience, maroon fear.
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