Ravensden is a civil parish located immediately north of the Bedford urban area adjoining Putnoe Wood, Mowsbury Park and the Woodlands Park housing development.
The Parish has distinctive rolling topography which has shaped the settlement pattern. In the south of the Parish is Cleat Hill where there are individually designed houses fronting the B660 Kimbolton Road. At the top of this hill but hidden by trees is Mowsbury Hillfort, a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Stretching out to the south and east is Mowsbury Golf Course.
The Cleat Hill/Graze Hill ridge affords panoramic views southwards over Bedford and northwards towards Sunderland Hill (topped with the iconic white water tower, near which is a green waste recycling facility) and also Church End with the ancient All Saints Church standing at the top of Church Hill.
The historic centre of the village is at Church End, which consists of scattered pre-1914 dwellings mostly joined together by more modern frontage development and a close of houses leading to the village primary school. A popular public house, the Horse and Jockey, is located near the Church. The village hall sits at the bottom of Church Hill.
Ravensden Crossroads, where the B660 Bedford Road is met by Oldways Road and Butler Street/Thurleigh Road, is another focus for mainly frontage residential development. The village shop, garage and other commercial premises are located here. There is a small community of park homes at Wayside Farm Park, east of Bedford Road.
There are scattered farms and cottages along Graze Hill and at Wood End, with rolling agricultural land and blocks of woodland to the west of Sunderland Hill.
There are about 350 households in the Parish.