Its nearest town is Ringwood, which lies approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) south from the village.

In the late 1900s the area was subject to a series of gravel extractions and became a landscape of interconnecting open lakes and wet meadows.

The area has recovered spectacularly since the days of gravel extraction and become a haven for all sorts of wildlife, including waterfowl, bats, otters and moths.

Several other parts of Blashford also have this status, including open lakes and the River Avon and associated flood plain.

Francis Macnamara (1886-1946) was a poet and lived in New Inn House (now demolished) with his wife Yvonne, and his daughters Nicolette (Devas), Caitlan and Brigit.