Outdoors, Together: Industry Teams Return to the Jurassic Coast for Hike Bike Paddle 2026

There are some days in the outdoor industry that blur the line between work and something altogether more meaningful—days when the “office” is replaced by coastline, and conversations happen on the move, between wind, terrain, and shared effort.

Thursday 9th July 2026 will be one of those days.

Set against the striking backdrop of the Jurassic Coast, the annual Hike Bike Paddle returns to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. Delivered by Threshold Sports, the event has become a fixture in the outdoor industry calendar—part endurance challenge, part meeting point, and part reminder of why so many people are drawn to life outdoors in the first place.

The Official Test Centre will be taking part in this charity challenge, you'll find the fundraising link in the blog, please donate and show your support and let's all make a difference.

By Emma Maguire

Hiking for charity

The format is simple, but never easy. Teams of 4–6 will hike the rugged contours of the Portland, cycle the exposed sweep of Chesil Beach, and finish on the water in Portland Harbour, taking to stand-up paddleboards for a final push to the line. It is a route that demands cooperation as much as fitness, and rewards neither without the other.

At the centre of it all is the setting itself: the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. A place synonymous with world-class sailing, it becomes for one day a stage for something broader—a gathering of people who work in, build, and believe in the outdoor environment.

Raising funds for The Youth Adventure Trust

This year also sees the return of The Official Test Centre team, adding a familiar thread through the event. Their presence brings a sense of continuity and quiet grounding—industry practitioners stepping out from behind the scenes and into the same shared challenge as everyone else on the start line. It is a leveller in the truest sense: no titles, no roles, just movement through the same landscape.

But beneath the physical challenge lies the real purpose of the day.

The event raises funds for the Youth Adventure Trust, supporting young people who may otherwise never access the kind of experiences that build confidence, resilience, and self-belief. Through outdoor adventure, mentoring, and consistent support, the charity helps create long-term change far beyond a single day on the coast.

The ultimate outdoor industry team challenge!

Teams can also support the cause directly here, this is The Official Test Centre fundraising link :https://www.givengain.com/project/tris-best-raising-funds-for-youth-adventure-trust

As Philippa Cox, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Youth Adventure Trust, puts it, the Hike Bike Paddle is “the ultimate outdoor industry team challenge”—a day of teamwork and camaraderie that translates into real, lasting impact for vulnerable young people.

And that is what lingers long after the final paddle stroke across Portland Harbour. Not just the physical effort, or the shifting weather, or the shared miles—but the sense that something has moved beyond competition. Teams soften into communities. Colleagues become teammates in a more meaningful sense. And a single day outdoors feeds into a much longer chain of opportunity for those who need it most.

Making a difference for vulnerable young people

It is easy, in industry terms, to describe days like this as networking, or engagement, or challenge events.

But on the ground, it feels simpler than that.

A reminder that the most valuable work in the outdoor world doesn’t always happen in meetings or offices.

It happens out there—where the land meets the sea, and people move together towards something bigger than themselves.