Two Lads Cairns is situated on Crooked Edge Hill, next to the historic Winter Hill, a popular destination for walkers in and around Lancashire.
Earlier this year, the Woodland Trust announced plans to restore the monument, deter vandalism and make it safe for visitors.
A spokesman said: “The Woodland Trust is planning to restore Two Lads securely to deter vandalism and make the monument safer for visitors.
“We understand the local significance and the important memories people hold of the site.
“The plan is to preserve the cairn’s history for as long as possible.
“The restoration process has no set plans as of yet and we will be hosting community consultations over the coming year to influence and guide our restoration plan.”
According to the trust the intriguing landmark was first recorded in 1787.
The trust added that on older maps, it is shown as two cairns, “but many local people will be familiar with just one large cairn until the 1970’s when the second cairn was rebuilt”.
Since then, the cairns have been vandalised and rebuilt many times.
A spokesman for the trust said: “The origins of the cairns are highly debated and there is no sure answer, even within local historians groups. However, the first possible recording of the cairns is a grant of land deed from Cecily, widow of Roger de Worsley and daughter of Willliam De Roynton, in 1280.”
The tower of rocks is said to be a memorial to two young men who died after getting stuck on the hills.
Some also believe it may be an ancient burial mound.
The cairn is a navigation point point for hillwalkers in the outdoor spot.
The hill in question is 389 metres high and located around two kilometres away from Rivington Pike.
The area was targeted by vandals twice in 2020.
In March that year stones at the top of the hill were pulled apart.
READ MORE: Historic monument targeted by vandals
Walk this way and discover the mysteries of one of Bolton’s most visited attractions
And in July the structure was ripped apart by vandals.
After the second incident dry stone wall techniques were used to try and ensure the structure was more stable and less vulnerable to criminality.
According to the About Rivington website there are a couple of local “legends” featuring the Two Lads.
The first is that “two lads” where stuck on the moor and froze to death on the site currently marked by the large cairn.
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Another relates to two princes of a Saxon king dies on the moor and another relates to lost lads who were the sons of a Bishop around 1540 CE. The story that was often told in Bolton was that the two lads where children working in a mill over the Belmont side of the hill that were forced to walk back from work each day over the moors.
Website Lancashire Past explores the origins of the mound stating the most likely explanation is that they are “the remnants of Bronze Age burial cairns”.
However, the history website and blog explores other possible explanations.
Free parking and facilities are available at the Woodland Trust Walker Fold car park for people walking in the area.
