More than 600 sports taster sessions are being offered at a summer festival of sail next month.

All are invited to book a slot and experience windsurfing, paddlesports, sailing, mountain-biking and rock climbing.

The four-day GJW Direct SailFest will run over the next bank holiday weekend from Friday, August 23 to Monday, August 26.

Costs and session lengths vary depending upon activity, ranging from £12 for 90-minute paddle sports in Portland Harbour to £22 for half a day rock climbing and mountain biking sessions on the island itself.

All the sports are being run by the on-site partners at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy – Weymouth College, the Official Test Centre and SailLaser sailing school.

Alex Sergison, the college’s Adventure Academy manager, said: “Portland has more than just world class sailing going for it. It is also a natural playground for a whole variety of adventure sports.”

In addition to £17 sailing taster sessions, SailLaser will be offering boats for day hire from £90 plus entry to the family-friendly dinghy racing event – the Pico Nationals.

A charity duathlon – on water and bikes – will take place on the Saturday evening followed by a special inter-club watersports challenge on Sunday evening.

The event offers shoreside activities and stall, accommodation packages and social events including a hog roast on Saturday at WPNSA and a meal at RYA Portland House – the Olympic sailing team’s base – on Sunday. Find out more at wpnsa.org.uk under the events section.