Blockley Parish lies on upland farm and woodland close to the northern extremity of Cotswold District. It forms part of the boundary between the headwaters of the Rivers Thames and Severn. Significant clay deposits lie between the attractive limestone hills; springs form the main source of the several steeply-falling streams which flow through Blockley, Aston Magna and Draycott villages. By contrast, Paxford village, also within the Parish, lies on more open, level ground drained by the Knee Brook, a tributary of the River Stour.
The human and visual characteristics of Blockley Parish are strongly influenced both by its relatively isolated location in the rural North Cotswolds and by the industrial history of Blockley village, its main centre of population. With a population of about 2000 (in the 2001 census) it is one of the largest parishes in England in terms of area, at about 12 sq miles (30 sq km). The entire Parish lies within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.