What fun; and, the perfect time to see what the infamous "English weather" is all about. When I visited in September from the USA, it wasn't much different! I had a chuckle about the train seating comments; When I was coming back to Bristol from Scotland, I was taking the bus, but there was a delay in Birmingham and I decided to take the train the rest of the way. I must have just bought a "general" seating ticket, because I didn't have a seat number, and I didn't know where to sit! I learned though that you have to look at the small little screen on the overhead by the seats; if it doesn't say "reserved" or something similar, then no-one has rented the seat between stations. Once you do it the first time, you learn quickly!