Belfast-Carrick bridge-places to walk/hike not corssing bridge?

Are there good places to walk along the coast with good views without crossing the bridge. Our tour would be there for 1 hour and we would like to walk and get some good views and photos without standing in line for the bridge in July.

You can stroll at least a little ways the other direction from the entry to the walk to the bridge (from the far side of the parking). You don't get the same views, but it is free. We strolled a little bit that way while we were waiting for the rest of the people on our tour to get back. But I don't know how far the path goes.

You can also take the walk toward the bridge without actually crossing the bridge. Better views, but you would have to pay the admission. (Note that the walk is not level ground. There are stairs.)

But if you time your tour right, there might be little to no line. We waited I think 2 minutes to cross over and then maybe about 4-5 minutes to cross back afterward?