Did the ridge from Cruach Mhor around to the Devil's Ladder by myself on Friday 7th September, a gloriously sunny and still day (too still really; too much insect life!) after early mist.

Crossing the Big Gun is obviously the most exciting part of the trip; quite imposing when seen end-on from Cruach Mhor. Once one actually gets to grips with it, it provides top-notch reasonable scrambling. Nothing I've done in Ireland is really comparable (for instance, it's a lot harder than the Beenkeragh-Carrauntoohil arete), so I too will resort to using British routes as yardsticks. It wouldn't disgrace the Cuillin of Skye (although it's not as committing as many of the ascents there), similar in seriousness to Crib Goch on Snowdon (which as has been pointed out elsewhere has less scrambling but far greater exposure). The best approximation I can think of is Bristly Ridge in the Glyders, North Wales.

The steps are all possible "direct", even though some are quite intimidating when seen at close quarters (the exposure may not be "colossal", but it is "sufficient", if you know what I mean! When a man says he'd rather fall 50ft than 1000ft it's not the same as saying "I want to fall 50ft", after all). There is the option of the path well down on the N side as mentioned, but with half-decent route finding one can stay much closer to the crest while still avoiding any bits of it you don't like (traverse lines are generally to the N, but occasionally to the S). The drop to the Cnoc na Peiste col is straightforward by comparison.

One final note; I did this in pretty much ideal conditions, but I did notice that any rocks that were damp from being in perpetual shade tended to be quite slippery. Worth considering if attempting the ridge during or after inclement weather.

The picture shows a reasonably typical step on the ridge. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/10/comment/2819/