October the water will be just bearable. Loads of good waves along that part of the coast - Lagos is a good place to base yourself with family and safe water options for kids - you can just go for a drive every day. Also a very good place for a beer without the ladies

October is probably my fav month to get waves in Europe with the water still warm and the first of the real winter swells to start arriving. Basically anywhere from the Bay of Biscay down to Portugal will be prime time. If you want warmer water perhaps head over to the Canaries - lots of options - and can be very cheap. A few localised waves over that way but in October you are out of the main summer season so you will have a ball. My fav spot at that time of year is either Hossegor in France or Anchor Point in Morrcoo - a bit further to fly but a great place. A bit busier these days but there are loads of high quality waves around. Enjoy.

G'day Salty,

I spent a couple of months in the Algarve a few years ago, at the end of an extended European surfing holiday.

Lovely part of the world with friendly locals (sans local boogers), great, cheap food, and nice villages.

I based myself in Sagres, as you can easily access the west and south coasts of the Algarve area, depending on swell direction.

Everything from big wave point breaks, racy reefs to fun beachies across the two coasts.

If you're keen on heading there, i'll pm you a bunch of spots I frequented.

I was there dead of winter and water temps put you in 3/2 - 4/3 territory depending on your tolerance to cold, but outside temps were usually pretty mild, with lots of sun. October, I imagine, would be a little warmer.

I spent late October to December in Ireland, which, while not being in the warm category, as incredible waves if you have a bit of time up your sleeves and don't mind driving a little bit.

France is epic as well!

The Algarve is the perfect year round destination with excellent waves and fantastic weather.
The south coast tends to have nice waves during the bigger winter swells, but the further you get from the west coast the smaller they become and the more tourist orientated it gets.
You can go to Sagres which is the most Southwest point in Portugal. There is a beach there around the point on the West side of the point which has decent waves. For a family trip a more appropriate Then would be the South side of the point where are more protected beaches with calmer waters for swimming. In Atlantic it's quite cold so you'd need a wetsuit.
Family friendly spots can be reached by a car. You can rent a van and drive around. Find some local car rental - they have better prices and better cars. I use RentMama.com but you can use some biz-directories or yellow pages.