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When the noun is preceded by an adjective both rather a (more typical of British English) and a rather are found.

When a rather is used, rather qualifies only the adjective, whereas with rather a it qualifies either the adjective or the entire noun phrase. Thus a rather long ordeal can mean only "an ordeal that is rather long," whereas rather a long ordeal can also mean roughly "a long process that is something of an ordeal."

https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=rather

What is in effect the difference with "a long process that is something of an ordeal" ? Maybe a different example would help here.

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  • The author regards rather a long ordeal as implying rather an ordeal that was also long - that is, it wasn't definitely an ordeal but only somewhat unpleasant.
    – Kate Bunting
    Aug 1, 2021 at 7:58

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I simply disagree with your source.

What it is saying is that

rather a long ordeal

may mean that it definitely was long but was perhaps not an ordeal or that it definitely was an ordeal but was perhaps not long. I do not subscribe to that. I think that what is being qualified is the whole phrase, and that the construction is like "quite a" and "almost a" and "virtually a." That is "rather a long ordeal" indicates that the statement is a bit hyperbolic and not to be taken literally.

I do agree that

a rather long ordeal

is primarily qualifying the adjective.

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