The Schiff base axial macrobicyclic ligand L 1 forms 4f-4f and 4f-3d cryptates with formula [Gd 2 (L 1 Ϫ 3H)(The crystal structures of the five compounds have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The ligand is helically wrapped around the two metal ions, leading to pseudo-C 3 symmetries around the metals. In the solid state, the conformation of the cation in 1 and 2 is Λ(δδλ) 5 (δδλ) 5 or its enantiomeric form ∆(λλδ) 5 (λλδ) 5 , while in 3, 4 and 5 it can be described as Λ(δδλ) 5 (δЈδЈδЈ) 5 (or ∆(λλδ) 5 (λЈλЈλЈ) 5 ). In 1, only one enantiomer is found in the crystal lattice, whereas in the other four compounds, both enantiomers are co-crystallised. The magnetic behaviour of the homodinuclear (Gd, Gd) and the heterodinuclear (Gd, Cu) cryptates points to a significant magnetic interaction between the two metal ions. This magnetic interaction is antiferromagnetic in the case of the Gd-Gd cryptate 1 (J = Ϫ0.194(6) cm Ϫ1 ), but ferromagnetic for the Gd-Cu one (J = 2.2(1) cm Ϫ1 ). The antiferromagnetic coupling observed for 1 is one of the largest ever reported. Although the ferromagnetic coupling observed for 3 is relatively weak, which is attributed to the strong bending of the bridging network, it is considerably stronger than the one reported for [GdCu(L 2 Ϫ 3H)(DMF)](ClO 4 ) 2 ؒMeCN. In spite of the similar coordination environment of the Gd() ion in compounds 1, 3 and 5 their EPR spectra are different, thereby confirming the magnetic interactions between the Gd() ion and the Cu() ion in 3 and the other Gd() ion in 1.