He also completed a course of study at the Theological Hall of the United Presbyterian Church in Edinburgh, but did not go into a religious career.

[2] Keltie later moved to London in 1871 to join Macmillan Publishers, where in 1873 he became sub-editor of the journal Nature and began separately to write articles on geography for The Times.

[2] In 1883, Keltie joined the Royal Geographical Society and quickly became heavily involved in its activities.

[2] Between 1914 and 1915, Keltie served as president of the Geographical Association, succeeded by the author Hilaire Belloc.

[1] Keltie was portrayed by Robert James in the 1983 series Shackleton, by Richard Wilson in the 1985 serial The Last Place on Earth, by Ron Donachie in the 2002 miniseries Shackleton, and by Clive Francis in the 2016 film The Lost City of Z.