Britt Ekland filmed in the Ellangowan hotel

Hotel owner Andrew Williamson, 50, bought the pub - the Ellangowan Hotel in Creetown, near Newton Stewart - around 18 months ago with the idea of transforming it into a mecca for Wicker Man fans.

Now, the impact of Covid-19 has made him reconsider his plans and he is looking to lease the pub - and his five bedroom home nearby - to someone 'looking for a lifestyle change.'

He said the hotel and bar - used as interior shots for the film - attract regular movie fans during the summer and he was taking inquiries from coach operators up until the coronavirus outbreak, but said running the hotel had proved to be 'a huge amount of effort' for one person.

"The fact that it had featured in the film was mentioned in the sale details when it came on the market," he said. "I thought it was something worth preserving.

"It was stuck in the 1970s and originally I was going to recreate [how it was in the film] but the reality is that I have to appeal to everyone."

He said Wicker Man fans would come into the pub in the summer 'for one drink and then they were off.'

"I had to consider whether it was worth almost creating a museum piece for a limited market," he said.

"It has proved to be a lot more work than I thought. Not from the renovation side, but the day to day running of the hotel."

He has so far almost completed the bar area which he has 'gutted' and modernised but kept some touches from how it was during filming.

Covid-19 gave him a chance to reflect on things, he said. "It has done the same thing for an awful lot of businesses," he added. "It made me question what I was doing. Why was I staying open for so long (pre-Covid)? The business hasn't changed that much in the last 30 or 40 years."

Mr Williamson, a former super yacht project manager who has sailed all over the world, said he is considering turning the hotel into a spa hotel with saunas, hot tubs and solariums, to broaden its appeal.

"I would keep two rooms dedicated to the characters in the film who stayed here (Willow (Britt Ekland) and Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward)). They could easily be turned into a Wicker Man suite."

He said the rooms would be a modern take on the originals, with features - such as the large pillows and cast iron bed frame - that film fans would recognise.

"It's about striking a balance between creating a museum and creating something people wanted to use," he said. "The rooms have to be appropriate for fans and non fans of Wicker Man."

Mr Williamson, who is from Surrey, eventually hopes to return south but would like to find someone - possibly a family looking for a change in lifestyle - to lease his house and the hotel.

"With the way the world is at the moment I'm not expecting a lot of interest any time soon," he added. "If the hotel went down the health spa route, there may be a call for using the house as accommodation."

In the meantime, he hopes to reopen the bar as soon as possible while works continues on the hotel.

Jenni Steele, VisitScotland film and creative industries manager, said The Wicker Man was 'an important piece in the fabric of Scotland’s rich film history, drawing visitors to Dumfries and Galloway to explore the film locations.'

"It continues to form part of our film tourism activity," she said. "The film marks its 50th anniversary in 2023 which offers the opportunity to further celebrate the movie and its Scottish locations.

“Screen tourism has been hugely popular in Scotland in recent years, driven in part by the success of the Outlander television series and major film productions such as Outlaw King and Avengers: Infinity War, and no doubt it will continue in the long-term.

“However, every corner of tourism has been affected by Covid-19 and the repercussions of the pandemic will continue to be felt even as restrictions are eased, which could mean that not all film locations are accessible in the short term."