The grieving parents of a university student who died after tumbling 600ft down a mountain have spoken with pride of their “amazing and talented” son.

Former Canterbury schoolboy Corin Castle, 21, fell to his death while trekking in the Scottish Highlands with his best friend.

He was studying plant science at Nottingham, having previously attended both St Anselm’s and Simon Langton Boys’ schools in the city.

He had a passion for adventure and travel, but his parents Malcolm and Lewana Castle, who run a B&B and holiday accommodation at Great Field Farm in Stelling Minnis, insist he was not a risk-taker and his death was “sheer bad luck”.

Mrs Castle said: “Like any parents, we used to worry when he was away travelling somewhere.

"I would see things in the newspapers and on the television and point them out to him to remind him to be careful.

"He didn’t fear death and just used to reply ‘if I’m dead, I won’t know about it’.

“But I know he took his trekking seriously and was careful. He was also experienced and a mountain leader and a very organised person.

“The mountain rescue team who recovered him said he had done nothing wrong and it was just a tragic accident.

“We think he slipped on a rock and toppled backwards. He was also wearing a heavy rucksack, which might have affected his balance. It was just sheer bad luck.”

Corin, who had recently been hiking on his own in Snowdonia, had a passion for plant life which began as a child growing up in the countryside.

Mrs Castle said: “He was fascinated by plants and the great outdoors. He was keen to enthuse everyone else and kept meticulous logs and diaries of his travels.

“He got three good A-levels in chemistry, biology and physics and gained a place at Nottingham,where he earned a trip to the university’s field school in Malaysia, which he was looking forward to.

“But he also did gardening jobs for people, which he was very good at.

“He was amazing and talented and had a fantastic future in front of him, but he at least died doing something he loved.”

Corin had a younger brother Jack, 19, and two sisters, Sharna, 42, and Zoe, 36.

"He was amazing and talented and had a fantastic future in front of him, but he at least died doing something he loved" - Lewana Castle

Friends have posted dozens of messages of sympathy on a Facebook page called In Memory of Corin Castle.

University housemate Maz Chinu Qazi wrote: “I feel as though it was only yesterday when we shared our last brew before he left for the summer, exchanging words of encouragement and plans to meet up next year.

“He was a caring and charismatic chap, took everything in his stride and never let anything get on top of him.

“One thing I will take from Corin is ‘do what makes you happy until your last day’.”

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