Cameron and Susan Law say goodbye to Gullane's Mallard Hotel

The Mallard, on the village’s East Links Road, has been owned and managed by husband-and-wife Susan and Cameron Law since 1987.

It was previously owned by Susan’s parents, Iain and Flora Clark, who took the business over in 1963, after running a restaurant in Pitlochry.

Iain chose the hotel’s name after being inspired by the wildlife in Aberlady Bay.

Sadly, he died four years later but Flora, Susan and the rest of the family worked together to keep the business going.

When Flora died in 1987, Susan and Cameron took over The Mallard.

Top left - taking down The Mallard sign, bottom left Susan and Cameron with their two sons Gavin and Ewan and a family picture of Iain and Flora Clark with their four children left to right Lorna, Catriona, Alasdair and Susan

Susan said: “Hotel life is quite challenging sometimes, but we’ve met lots and lots of great people over the years.

“It is quite sad in these Covid times; people have had to give up businesses for financial reasons but we are really lucky that that was not the case for us.

“My dad always used to say ‘hospitality with informality’, which is what we strove to achieve. We will miss hotel life.”

The pair had always planned to retire at this time but hopes for a large party have been scuppered due to the pandemic.

As well as enjoying time with family, friends, and a new grandchild who was born in December, Susan and Cameron will be kept busy by their many hobbies and interests.

Susan is former chairman and current service co-ordinator at Muirfield Riding Therapy, receiving an MBE for her work there; and Cameron is a member at North Berwick Golf Club. They also plan to travel, when lockdown restrictions allow.

But first on the to-do list is househunting. Susan has lived on the hotel’s premises since her parents owned it, with Cameron moving in after their marriage in 1978.

The pair, who previously ran The Ugly Duckling cafe in the village, will not be moving far and plan to stay in East Lothian, a community they have grown to love.

Susan called the ending “bittersweet”, adding that “it is really hard to pick out just one memory” from the past 57-and-a-half years of her family running The Mallard.

She said she would rather pay tribute to and thank all the customers, guests and staff who had been a huge part of their lives. She added: “We have not been able to say proper goodbyes to people, which is quite sad.

“Some of them have been coming to the hotel for over 40 years.

“I’ve said to the new owners that I want to meet up with some of the guests and say goodbye properly.

“Among the plans was a two-day open-door party to allow people to drop in and say farewell.

“Working in a hotel is an all-consuming business so retirement will take some getting used to. I don’t want to become a couch potato though! I don’t feel old enough to retire at all.”

READ MORE: Ambitious plans for village hotel

Plans last year by Structured House Group to demolish and replace the hotel with a new 25-bedroomed version will not go ahead.

The Mallard has now been sold to East Lothian-based company Watchman Inns; the hotel’s name is being changed to The Watchman and it is currently undergoing a refurbishment, with hopes it will reopen in July.

Susan said that, with the name change, it was like she was “taking [The Mallard name] with them”, adding that it would be “in our hearts and memories”.

The lettering that spells out the hotel’s name on the front of the building have also been gifted to Susan and Cameron.