A Heriot-Watt student died last week in an accidental 50ft fall from Arthur’s seat.

John Muir, a maths and accountancy student, lost his footing while walking home from a night out on Friday 19 September. According to police, Mr Muir, 19, was negotiating a particularly tricky trail beneath Salisbury Crags when he slipped. There is no suspicion of any wrongdoing over the incident.

Mr Muir’s body was discovered by a hiker more than 24-hours later, lying in the gorse on Queens drive – the road which runs around the circumference of the hill.

A spokesperson for the Lothian and Borders Police issued the following statement: “It would appear that the young man had been enjoying a night out with friends when he became separated from them at around 01:45 in the early hours of Friday 19 September.

“Police were contacted by a member of the public at around 10:30 on Saturday 20 September. The events which occurred during the intervening period are still being investigated.”

The spokesperson added: “There are no suspicious circumstances. A report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.”

An dedicated scout, Mr Muir frequently returned from Edinburgh to his home in Inverkip, Renfrewshire where he was a youth leader with 85th First Inverkip Scouts.

Scout commissioner David McCallum paid tribute to the teenager. He said: "Mark was a smashing lad and one of scouting's nicest sons.

"Mark was great fun and he loved the outdoors. He was a real achiever and received his Chief Scout Gold Award and Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award. He was one of the few scouts to achieve the Double Everest Award where he climbed the equivalent of 60,000ft

"The whole scouting community was extremely proud of him and he will be sorely missed."

The incident is the first such tragedy since 2006 when a Taiwanese schoolboy on a school trip fell to his death on Salisbury crags. Yi-Chi Chen, 12, lost his footing after taking a difficult and steep route down from the Piper’s Walk pathway while exploring with friends. As with last week’s accident, there were thought to be no suspicious circumstances.

The area comprising Holyrood Park, the Crags and Arthur’s seat are administered by Historic Scotland, who issued a warning last week about the dangers of the park and its surroundings.

A spokesperson said: “The terrain of Holyrood Park is diverse, open and, in places, extremely challenging and exposed.

"We advise people to keep to the paths and not attempt to stray into territory that could be potentially dangerous to them.

"It is important that people using the park are well equipped and prepared for any activity they wish to undertake.

"If a user of the park has any doubt about what the landscape in the park may encompass available paths and walking routes, our Holyrood Park Ranger service can provide information.”

Staff and students at Heriot-Watt University were dealt a further blow by the death of another of their undergraduates, design student Laura Leghorn, over the same weekend.

Ms Leghorn, 18, from Carluke, South Lanarkshire, had been travelling to meet a friend when her Peugeot 106 collided with a Mitsubishi Lancer being driven in the opposite direction by 25 year-old Stephen Jardine, also from Carluke.

The accident, which occurred at around 2pm on Sunday 21 September, killed both drivers instantly.

While Ms Leghorn’s family—including her three brothers and two sisters—are, understandably, too distressed to comment, neighbours were forthcoming in their condolences for the “bubbly” second-year student.

One neighbour said: “Laura was a talented girl who loved being creative. She came into her own after going to university.”

A pupil of Carluke High School until 2007, Ms Leghorn was remembered fondly by her former teachers. Head teacher Jim Yuille said: “Losing Laura has brought enormous sadness on the whole school community, our deepest sympathies and thoughts go out to her family.

“Laura left Carluke High School in 2007. She was a House Vice-Captain and one of the most pleasant, sunny-natured and hard- working pupils we have ever had the pleasure to teach. Her particular passion was in art and design.

“In her final year, she won a Clydesdale Community Award for her design skills which was an example of her ability to put her heart and soul into everything she did.”

While the A721 Kilncadzow-Carluke road on which the accident occurred is not known as a dangerous stretch, Police and roads officials have expressed concern about the five fatalities to have occurred so far this year and ordered an inspection of the . It is understood that the road is to be closed as part of a road resurfacing scheme next month, one aspect of which is the inclusion of anti-skid surfacing.

Responding to the week's unhappy events, a spokesperson for Heriot-Watt University said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of both Laura and Mark at this sad time. The university's Student Welfare Department has been in contact with the families and are offering support to them and both Mark and Laura's friends."