The manoeuvre phase which had characterised operations since the prince and his army left Romorantin was now over and the armies were at last in close proximity.

However, the most pressing need for the Anglo-Gascon army as the sun rose on Sunday 18 September 1356 was to find water, and, if possible, other provisions for men and horses. The nearest water source was the river Miosson, only about two miles from the overnight bivouac. Furthermore, the Benedictine abbey of St Junien on the banks of the river in the village of Nouaillé and the commanderie of the Knights Hospitaller at Beauvoir were close at hand and could be expected to provide at least some provisions for the army. Once the men and horses had been fed and watered as best they could, attention could then turn to the best course of action. If, as some believe, the prince was intent on avoiding battle, the obvious move, with the French somewhere to the north between the prince and Poitiers, would have been to continue south towards Bordeaux and safety at all speed.