I find it better to go S - N, then you go up the bad step, much easier! After that, the pinnacles are pretty straightforward and can be taken or avoided more or less at will.
Rather than take the bad step direct (a greasy, exposed section of vertical Diff climbing), there's a route that goes up a sort of slabby groove a bit further round to the left (west), there's an obvious path leading to it. The traverse of the pinnacles is described in some detail in the SMC guideboook "Highland Scrambles North".
One of the best on the mainland. Enjoy!
Ben Dearg Mhor and Ben Dearg Beag make another stunning but lesser-known traversewith similar scrambling, provided you can get across the river(s) by Shenavall and can get someone to drop you off at Corrie Hallie and pick you up at Gruinard Bay
Ian
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