It is about 3 kilometres (2 mi) west of the nearest part of the Lake District National Park.

For Local Government purposes it is in the Cumberland unitary authority area.

[5] St Oswald's Church is on the edge of the village and dates back to the 12th century.

In the graveyard there are several ancient gravestones and a Preaching Cross, the base of which is 12th century or earlier and thought to have been used by the monks of Calder Abbey.

The church is built in blocks of calciferous sandstone and has green slate roofs.

[8] The climate in Dean is that of the north-west of England, which is exposed to large amounts of rainfall due to the fact that the region is home to high ground.

The strongest winds can be felt most in the winter half of the year, especially from December to February.