Quiz Night, Sorted: A Midweek Pub Quiz Map of Dacorum
Midweek pub quizzes are the most underrated night out in Dacorum. They cost less than a cinema ticket, they give a Tuesday a shape, and they don't require you to pretend you enjoy a two-hour cocktail menu. The only problem is that the quality varies wildly. Some quizzes are gentle community fun; others are a thinly disguised University Challenge audition with chips.
So here's a town-by-town audit for autumn 2026. Treat it as a planning guide, not holy scripture: quiz nights move, landlords change their minds, and the person who runs the microphone sometimes takes a week off. Ring or check socials before you go.
How we've ranked them
We've looked at five things: difficulty (gentle, mid, serious), atmosphere (cosy, lively, competitive), maximum team size, entry fee and whether there's actual food. We've also flagged the quizzes where a newcomer can realistically win. That last point matters. Nobody wants to pay £2 to spend 90 minutes feeling like the least-informed person in the room.
The quick map
| Town | Venue | Night | Entry | Max team | Prize | Food | Difficulty | Newcomer chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hemel Hempstead | The Full House, Marlowes | Tuesday, 8pm | £2pp | 6 | Cash pot plus bar tab | Burgers until 8.45pm | Mid | Good |
| Apsley / Boxmoor | The Paper Mill, London Road | Wednesday, 8pm | £2pp | 6 | £50 bar tab | Pizzas | Serious | Low to mid |
| Berkhamsted | The Crown, High Street | Thursday, 8.30pm | £2.50pp | 6 | £60 bar voucher | Small plates | Gentle to mid | Very good |
| Tring | The Akeman, Akeman Street | Monday, 8pm | £2pp | 6 | Winner takes the pot | Pizza | Mid to hard | Low |
| Kings Langley | The Swan, High Street | Tuesday, 8.15pm | £2pp | 6 | £40 bar tab | Chips | Gentle | Very good |
| Bovingdon | The Bell, High Street | Wednesday, 8pm | £2pp | 6 | Cash pot | Bar snacks | Mid | Good |
| Chipperfield | The Two Brewers, The Common | Thursday, 8pm | £2pp | 5 | Bottle of wine | Pub menu until 8.30pm | Gentle | Good |
Hemel Hempstead: The Full House
Tuesday, 8pm, £2 per person, maximum six. The prize is a cash pot plus a bar tab, and the kitchen keeps burgers going until 8.45pm, which is the correct order of priorities. Difficulty is mid: a round on 1990s chart hits, a picture round that isn't impossible, and a final round that rewards people who read the local paper. Atmosphere is chatty rather than gladiatorial. A newcomer with one decent film buff and one person who knows their music can absolutely win. Parking is easiest in the Marlowes multi-storey; check the evening tariff before you commit.
Apsley and Boxmoor: The Paper Mill
Wednesday, 8pm, £2 per person, teams of up to six. This is the quiz for people who own a dictionary and aren't afraid to use it. The prize is a £50 bar tab and the food is pizza, which softens the blow of a geography round that assumes you've memorised the Danube's tributaries. Difficulty is serious; atmosphere is friendly but focused. Newcomers can win, but only if they bring a specialist. It's a good quiz, not a gentle one. Parking is in the pub car park, but it fills quickly.
Berkhamsted: The Crown
Thursday, 8.30pm, £2.50 per person, maximum six. This is the most civilised quiz on the list: small plates, a £60 bar voucher, and a question master who doesn't shout. Difficulty is gentle to mid, with a music round that won't punish you for being born after 1985. Atmosphere is cosy and slightly competitive in a nice way. This is one of the best bets for a newcomer: the teams are welcoming, the questions are fair, and the prize is genuinely worth turning up for. Parking around Berkhamsted High Street is a pain, so use one of the town car parks and walk.
Tring: The Akeman
Monday, 8pm, £2 per person, maximum six. The prize is the pot, and the food is pizza. This is a proper quiz for proper quizzers: current affairs, history, science, a film round that isn't just Marvel. Difficulty is mid to hard. Atmosphere is busy, loud and a bit serious. If you're a newcomer, you can win, but you'll need a team that knows things rather than a team that mostly knows each other. Parking is in the nearby council car parks; check the evening charge.
Kings Langley: The Swan
Tuesday, 8.15pm, £2 per person, maximum six. Prize: £40 bar tab. Food: chips, and plenty of them. Difficulty is gentle, atmosphere is properly local, and the quiz master has a sense of humour. This is the one I'd send a first-timer to. The questions are varied without being cruel, the teams aren't cliquey, and there's a real chance of walking away with something. Parking is on-street near the High Street; read the signs carefully.
The villages: Bovingdon and Chipperfield
Bovingdon's Bell runs a Wednesday quiz at 8pm, £2 per person, teams up to six, cash pot, bar snacks. It's mid-difficulty with a good local flavour: a round on old telly, a round on the area, and a wipeout round that catches everyone. Chipperfield's Two Brewers has a Thursday quiz at 8pm, £2 per person, teams up to five, bottle of wine for the winner, and pub food until 8.30pm. It's gentle and friendly, the kind of quiz where the biggest argument is about whether a satsuma counts as a citrus. Both are worth the drive if you live nearby.
The verdict: best for a Tuesday
The best Tuesday quiz is The Swan in Kings Langley. It starts at 8.15pm, costs £2, feeds you chips, and doesn't punish a team of four who just want a laugh. If you want a bigger prize and a more central location, The Full House in Hemel is the stronger second option. If you want to test yourself, wait until Wednesday and go to The Paper Mill.
Newcomer-friendly picks
If you're putting a team together for the first time, start with The Crown in Berkhamsted or The Swan in Kings Langley. Both have gentle-to-mid questions, friendly rooms and prizes that don't attract sharks. The Bell in Bovingdon is also a good shout if you're local. Avoid The Akeman on a first outing unless your team includes someone who genuinely enjoys current affairs.
The practical bit
Take cash for entry, even if the pub takes cards. Arrive 15 minutes early to grab a table and order food before the quiz starts. Check the maximum team size; six is standard, but some venues are strict. Put your phones away. And ring ahead: quizzes are run by humans, and humans go on holiday.
